Main trends
Since 2015, the DRC has experienced several innovations based on ICTs. This is the case with new technologies aimed at providing tailored solutions in the mobile payment sector, including mobile banking. In 2018, money transactions that were exclusively carried out on mobile phones are now also carried out between mobile phones and ATMs installed by private banks through the streets in Kinshasa and the provinces.
The most used applications on cell phones are those that allow access to social networks, and capture and store files including audio, visual, photos, documents, etc. Young people tend to use apps largely to communicate and share experiences (capturing and sending pictures, videos, sounds, etc), and often play games on phones, contributing to the increase of the gaming trend.
More and more, as stated above, phones also serve as tools for sending or storing money (Orange Money, Mpesa, Airtel Money). This trend allows for occasional financial "fixes", which can cover large sums up to US$3,000. The possibility of financial transaction by telephone favors purchases. By phone, people in DRC can renew their subscription to cable channels, buy phone credit for their SIM cards, pay debts, lend money, make donations etc.
At the social level, these operations made possible the strengthening of ties and relationships. They reduce the cost of financial transactions through couriers and facilitate the procedures for sending money and accessing the money sent. They also facilitate the online purchase of various services such as telephone credits, the subscription to cable television channels, the payment of debts, etc.
Other innovations have brought solutions in the field of family planning, through applications created by Congolese people, such as the mobile application Cycle M that helps women to track their menstrual cycle. In the field of health, the application Palu Check helps people who download it on their mobile phones to be diagnosed with malaria. Other Congolese apps include PayWebPhone, otherwise known as "the Congolese mini paypal" which is an online payment system resulting from a Web/GSM marriage. The UB-BO X decoder system can capture and record more than 50 national and local TV channels without having to use a satellite dish. The decoder is used with a rake antenna (radio) to receive the signal. Pre-Exetat is a mobile application of education for pupils in fifth and sixth grades. It works on smartphones with the Android operating system and allows students to have questions (items) that could help them self-evaluate.