Cellular Programme – Old Assembly Building, Parliament 05 November 2002


As you are already aware, we as Challenge Productions, are very passionate about disabled issues. As we have two deaf partners, which has resulted in us focussing enormously on the deaf and their needs. Currently we one of our partners, Donavan Mulligan, in Sydney, Australia, investigating the issue of captions for television. However, the reason for our presence here today, is very simple.

Since the advent of cellular telephones and particularly SMS messaging, this has revolutionised the way in which the deaf community communicates with each other over long distances. Noting that they have been excluding from most form of telephone usage, simply as they cannot hear. We, as an organisations makes extensive use of SMS’ to stay in contact with Dale and Donavan. The problem come when they, as the deaf community uses this service.

1 they need to get hold of a hand set
2 they need to buy an airtime window
3 they need to buy airtime to operate the SMS service
4 they need to pay +75 cents per SMS sent.

Now, as you can imagine, most of the deaf community, as a result of our, yours and mine, sidelining them, have either not got a formal education, or a very limited form thereof. And as a result of this, their earning capacity is very limited. Wilma Neuihout-Droushan – exception to this rule.

Currently none of the cellular operators are seeing them as a viable market, or even a market.

Just think of it, every two years, your contract expires and you have it renewed. So, the cellular network gives you an upgrade on you handset.

What happens with the one handed in?????

Why are they not making available a special package to the deaf community?

Very simply because it is easier to ignore the reality than to do something about it, isn’t it?

What we are proposing is simply for the cellular networks to make available a purely SMS based package for the deaf community. In other words, the handsets cannot make voice calls. This coupled with a permanent airtime window (free no less), plus a special rate for the SMS messaging, say maybe 10 cents per SMS. The handsets being upgraded can be made available to the deaf community on registration for the service. A number of benefits can be derived from this. Including being able to use the registrar as a marketing tool, too relay valuable information to the deaf community ( let us say that a company wants to sent a message to the deaf community, they will access this via the cellular network, and possible pay a fee, amongst other benefits)

While we are on the matter of cellular issues – telkom and vodacom -costing