Rwanda: MTN'S rural payphones take off

MTN Rwanda's Tuvugane community payphone initiative, aimed at bringing mobile communication to rural communities, has proved to be even more successful than originally expected. According to the cellular operator, Tuvugane - which means 'we can all talk' - began with the rollout of some 600 payphones, and a year after the launch more than 1 600 mobile payphones are available in the country's rural regions. The Tuvugane initiative is part of MTN's drive to increase teledensity in rural areas throughout its operations and put telecommunications within the reach of even those who cannot afford handsets, says Yvonne Muthien, corporate affairs group executive at MTN.