Telecommunication is a very enormous, profound and fundamental sector of the economy that is impacting people socially, economically, politically and financially. There are plenty of technologies that lie in this category including televisions, telephones, internet, and so on. In this article I want to bring to your attention the impact of Telecommunication to our modern society.
The Internet – For knowledge & information
Internet is a great source of knowledge and Information. People can make research on Google about anything and obtain almost everything they are looking for. Such a great function of the internet has scaled down the level of ignorance in society. Through the proper usage of the internet for research purposes, people make valuable contribution to the different life and business circumstances from a well-informed point of view.
They are a quick and cheaper means of communication
• Adverts
These provide Businesses with a bigger platform for capturing a wider audience in their marketing strategies. Television programs and shows are used to creatively spread the word about the business products and services they are offering.
• Phone calls & text messages
A case in point are the phones and the airtime that we use. These help society to easily communicate through making simple phone calls, or sending simple text messages to their colleagues who are afar off. Gone are the days in the past when there were no phones. People used to travel many kilometres in order to deliver a message from one person to another who is a far off. With telecommunication, the problem of delayed communication is resolved.
Mobile money transactions
In Uganda, we use phones to transfer money from one phone network to another hence the term “mobile money.” Telecommunication has facilitated easy and quick money transactions which helps a lot in business dealings.
Offer Banking services to people
Telecommunication companies act like banks to people’s money. People use them for making deposits and withdraws. Every mobile user has a unique and secret pin code which he uses to access his account to make withdraws or deposits at any time. Instead of walking around with loads of physical cash that can easily be noticed and stolen by the bad guys, people are rather walking with their money well stored safely on their phone networks. Through the utilization of this telecommunication function, money theft cases or risks are curbed down.
Source of revenue to the government through taxes
Telecommunication companies pay large sums of taxes to the government which is used in financing the country’s development projects such as road construction, hospitals, schools, and so on. These therefore contribute greatly to the country’s GDP. They also facilitate the development of other sectors of the economy such as the Agricultural, industrial and so on.
Sponsoring programs
These sponsor programs in the nation that is through corporate social responsibilities where they provide free financial support (donations) to large projects that are geared towards development of the country and also people’s lives. For example in my Country Airtel telephone network is the official sponsor of the Country’s national soccer team - “Uganda Cranes.”