Aug 28, 2007 1:06 PM

Mission Accomplished...For Afghan Cell Phone Industry

Lasting peace may be a pipe dream, but at least the people of Afghanistan are able to text message like nobody’s business. Mobile phone penetration in the war-torn nation is skyrocketing, with an estimated 12 percent of the 25 million population now toting handsets. Growth factors include the discouraging tendency for chunks of land-line phone […]

Lasting peace may be a pipe dream, but at least the people of Afghanistan are able to text message like nobody's business. Mobile phone penetration in the war-torn nation is skyrocketing, with an estimated 12 percent of the 25 million population now toting handsets. Growth factors include the discouraging tendency for chunks of land-line phone systems to get blown up.

Says Communications Minister Amirzai Sangin:

In Afghanistan, the majority of our people will be connected through mobile phones...We have gone straight into the age of personal communication.

Afghan cell phone use booming[AP]

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