Comments on: Are mobile phones pushing cyber cafes out of business?

By: Collins Onwochei

Collins Onwochei — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:05:50 +0000

Things are going to get worse for cybercafes. As the cost of operating these centres is going up, Telcos in Nigeria will continue to increase what they are currently offering subscribers in terms of speed and bandwidth for less cost. This leaves cybercafe operators with too much to compete with and having too little advantage. Imagine being able to watch youtube videos on your phone without breaks in the streaming and doesn’t exhaust your data allowance why on earth will I go to a cybercafe when I can lie on my couch and achieve more?

By: Naija Mega Jobs

Naija Mega Jobs — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:02:17 +0000

The rise of mobile browsing is really great in nigeria especially, visitors to my site consist of 90% of mobile users. the main reason pple dont go to cafes anymore is definitely due to this rise, cos havin ur own pc with internet is not dat cheap here in naija, but almost evrybody can afford a mobile with cheap mobile internet bundle.

By: Olumide Adeleye@Motivation and Inspiration from Lagos, Nigeria

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:26:41 +0000

I’ve not been to a cafe in ages!

Well, the world isn’t a stagnant place. Change is meant to happen. Cyber cafe owners who realize this will think of alternatives fast like converting the cafes into training centres or adding other services. With these telecom operators introducing data plans as part of their normal bundles… Nigeria is changing fast.

By: TechConsult from Illinois, United States

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:26:47 +0000

The ability to access the internet via mobiles has certainly impacted cyber cafe’s negatively. My last 4 visits to Nigeria over the last 4 years, my primary means of internet has been via my MTN sim card. I sig up for the daula package they offer, and then just use it via the phoen or by connecting the phone to my laptop. The signal is 3G too, so it’s faster than most of the cyber cafe’s speed. The ability to be able to get on the net 24/7 as I choose cannot be beaten. And this has certainly pu a big dent in the profits of the Cafe’s.

By: Jay from Wakefield, United Kingdom

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:46:03 +0000

Quite interesting thoughts. However, I think the fact that cybercafes are shutting down should be attributed more to their inability to plan and manage their business properly. For example, you see more and more cyber cafe businesses opening up in developed countries in spite of the recent surge in technology advances.

By: Technuzu from Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom

Fri, 28 May 2010 11:39:59 +0000

Cybercafes will not completely dissapear because they offer “on the go” solutions for when you want to access information fast. Again not everyone can afford the cost of owning their own laptop and connectivity. It also depends on how much you want an online presence. A lot many people dont use a pc for more than checking the odd one or two mails once a week. Its cheaper popping to the local cafe to do that.

By: Oluniyi D. Ajao from Lagos, Nigeria

Fri, 21 May 2010 15:43:47 +0000

LOL at the per receipt charge. You really can’t blame those people. When email technology became commercial in Nigeria, we were not sure how to handle it. Therefore, the default line of thought was to treat it like postal mail delivery and hence charge for each recipient of your “posted electronic letter”. I paid N50 per email a few times and also paid N30 for typing. I stopped paying for typing when I saved my email text unto a floppy from home.
Anyway, enjoy the current revolution.

By: Morris from Oyo, Nigeria

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:12:27 +0000

Power (Nepa) EFCC and the police killed cyber cafe business. First there is no electricity and they have to burn diesel and secondly most are afraid to broswe there as police keep raiding there for free money while the real yahoo guys (that has money) browse from their homes. I believe cyber cafes can’t go extinct ‘cos even in developed countries like UK where there is power and the telecom giants, cyber cafes are still working.

By: chris from Oyo, Nigeria

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:10:38 +0000

you think cyber cafe is easy to start? cost of systems, modem, generator, rent, diesel and the rest.. think again.

By: Uche from Pennsylvania, United States

Fri, 21 May 2010 01:55:00 +0000

One incident that happened shortly before I left Nigeria is still fresh in my memory. I remember sending an email in Kaduna in 1999 at one of the only cybercafes in the country then. The email was sent to a primary recipient and copied to 6 other people. I remember being charged 100 naira for the primary recipient and 70 naira each for the rest of the 6. Daylight robbery. So this can only be a good development for Nigeria. With access to information comes a different kind of power. Such is the power that Nigerians (especially the youth) wield now. If Nigeria does change politically for the better, I will not be wrong in attributing it to the information revolution.