Because many distant students in South Africa only have a mobile device instead of a computer at their disposal, the University of Pretoria was prepared to adopt m-learning quite early. While ten years ago most South African distance students only had simple mobile devices, without the possibility to access internet, the UP resorted to m-learning, even before the conditions for optimal use of m-learning were present. This was only possible by transforming the innovative idea of m-learning in a first experimental phase to the local South African context.