allAfrica.com reports on a service provider based in Sierra Leone:

Celtel-Sierra Leone has unveiled its plans to offer internet services via mobile phones.

Mobile internet services will benefit a wide range of subscribers who may not have access to a personal computer (PC) at home. In Africa for example, the use of mobile phones is more widespread than PCs.

This development highlights the advantage of developing countries over their well-connected counterparts. Wireless networks transmit data without cables, thus saving a service provider from significant expense. Aside from purchasing the necessary materials and land permits, there's also a need to maintain the infrastructure of a traditional wired network(the wires themselves, and the structures that support them).

Wireless is different, because there's no need to lay down any cables over long distances. It's relatively easier to set up remote transmission points, and definitely easier to protect them. What this means is that a service provider can spend less money providing connectivity to their customers, which translates to cheaper access to information and communication.

At the center of this successful formula are smartphones and PDAs, whose capabilities are improving at a steady rate. Could it be possible that customers like those of Celtel will never see a computer, nor never need to, since their mobiles and handhelds can do the job quite nicely?