A Case for Non-Expiring Mobile Data in Botswana
The other day, I had a sudden electricity cut while doing some work on the internet. My primary source of internet is an unlimited broadband connection from a local ISP, so as a result of the power cut, I bought a 1-day mobile data bundle so I could continue working. Lo and behold, a few minutes after dropping a couple of pulas on the bundle, electricity came back, and I was stuck with a few GBs of mobile data, which I had no use for but would be expiring in a few hours. That got me thinking, why does mobile data even expire if, for starters, I have already paid full price for it, and secondly, it's not a perishable product? According to a study by Cable.co.uk, Botswana ranks 161 out of 231 countries regarding affordable mobile data prices. The study further shows that of the 22 mobile data plans studied from different carriers in the country, the average price for 1GB of mobile data was $1.99 (P27). For context, the lowest average price in Sub-Saharan Africa was found in Malawi, w
