A GSM Payphone on a Motorbike

Posted on March 9, 2006 / 4 Comments

Read this article on the web at: www.cellular-news.com/story/16423.php

MTN Uganda has unveiled a modified bicycle payphone concept, the publiCom Quad Bike. The publiCom Quad Bike is a payphone concept where a payphone is mounted on a four-wheel bicycle. MTN publiCom also has existing tricycle payphones operational in the Kampala area.

While addressing a press conference at MTN publiCom headquarters in Bukoto, the Chief Executive Officer, Francois du Plessis, explained that the publiCom Quad Bike is an example of convergence which is a vital ingredient of socioeconomic activities today. With the publiCom Quad Bike, the payphone attendants are able to move from one place to another, making telephony services even more accessible.

“People require communication that is accessible and this is achieved with the publiCom Quad Bike. The publiCom Quad Bike essentially brings communication to your doorstep, for no extra cost. This publiCom Quad Bike is mainly aimed at operating in the under served upcountry regions,” he explained.

The publiCom Quad Bike is a new innovation from MTN publiCom to complement the existing Payphone systems which continue to provide convenience, confidentiality and longer call duration per unit.

4 Comments

Janantha
March 26, 2006, 2:03 am
Very interesting and a practical concept. Hope other countries which are in need easy communication access adopt this sort of a model. The only problem should be the cost factor. As the bikes may need fuel to run, per call charge will have an extra overhead added to it(Im only guessing this) .The ratio of GSM charges/resource charge should be a low one(a value less than 1 should be ideal) for greater utilization.
janantha
March 26, 2006, 6:30 am
I made a minor error in the comment above..It should be resource charge/ GSM charge ratio. This should be lower.
Francois du Plessis
June 28, 2006, 5:29 pm
I would like to clarify that the quad bike concerned is not a motor bike but is in fact a pedal bike. Francois du Plessis, CEO, MTN publiCom, Uganda.
GSM payphone
February 22, 2013, 4:56 pm
GSM payphone, Dual SIM FCT, Automatic Mobile recharge System, MARS Recharge system.