A comparative study of mobile technology adoption in remote Australia

The paper presents a comparative study of mobile technology adoption
and use by two communities – one Aboriginal and the other non-Aboriginal –
both located in a remote region of Australia, the Bloomfield River Valley of Cape
York. Both communities have high levels of ownership of mobile phones relative
to, on the one hand, the low uptake of other ICT such as fixed-line phones by the
Aboriginal community at Wujal Wujal and, on the other hand, the poor mobile
coverage in the non-Aboriginal community at Bloomfield. For both groups
communication is of paramount importance, followed by listening to music. In
addition, the Aboriginal community make extensive use of other multimedia and
Internet features of their devices. Key factors in the motivation to acquire mobile
phones, in comparison to other ICT, are the superior cost management that
mobiles offer for Aboriginal people and the convenience of being able to
communicate while away from home for Bloomfield residents. The authors
conclude that mobile technology needs to be taken seriously, even in areas of
limited coverage such as the Bloomfield River Valley.