"I think this is just the beginning of a revolution in terms of what internet can do for society," said David Bunei, Cisco's country manager for East Africa. "The more we have low-cost devices that are able to access WiFi, the more we'll see society shifting economically as well as socially."

Across the African continent, low-cost or free public WiFi services are playing a key role in bridging the digital divide - as tech giants and startups alike find innovative solutions for the unique challenges that Africa presents.

Along the way, they are helping to jump start a far-reaching cultural and economic transformation.

In this podcast, Connected Futures executive editor Kevin Delaney speaks with a number of experts with hands-on experience connecting the unconnected in Africa, particularly through WiFi.

Featuring: Kendall Ananyi, founder and CEO of Tizeti, which is building solar-powered WiFi towers in African countries. David Bunei, Cisco's country manager for East Africa Gordon Feller, founder of Meeting of the Minds, a knowledge-sharing platform for connected technologies and smart cities Erik Hersman, CEO of BRCK, a Nairobi-based startup that's bringing public WiFi to a number of African countries. Olakunle Oloruntimehin, general manager in Nigeria for Cisco, Steve Song, communications entrepreneur who has written extensively about connectivity in Africa