Nokia to Give Rural India a Phone Loaded with Life!India's mobile user base is expanding rapidly. Come 2010, the number of mobile users will be somewhere around 500 million. And much of this growth will come right from the heart of India, the rural India that is still untouched by the mobile revolution. People who could utilize the power of mobile phones to boost their agricultural output, to get better prices for their produce, and to add more zing to their lives. No one knows this better than the biggest mobile maker in the world - the mighty Nokia. The company that's connecting people around the globe. The cell phone sales may be falling in many parts of the world due to recession but the story is different in India. Here, whopping 10 million new mobile connections are being added every month. The rural India only has about 13% penetration so far so the real growth potential lies in the rural belt.
That's not all. Nokia also announced micro-financing scheme which will be made available to women first. The objective of micro-financing is to make Nokia phones more affordable for rural masses. The micro-financing scheme will be launched in 12 states initially. The scheme was tested in two states on a pilot basis. It allows people to make small payments for as low as rupees 100 per week for about 25 weeks. The scheme virtually removes the cell phone affordability barrier. Nokia President and CEO, Mr. Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, said that the company will also be looking to offer local content in entertainment and gaming. Does that mean we'll get Nokia phones loaded with folk music and games around folklore? Let's wait and watch. But the idea definitely sounds very interesting. One roadblock that Nokia's plan may run into is the ugly drought. With 50% of India affected by poor monsoon, the spending may shrink in rural zones. Nokia, however, brushed aside this possibility stating that people will actually turn to phones to save on other expenses like on travel. With BlackBerry and iPhone taking control elsewhere, Nokia better bets big on India. Read the complete Press Release from Nokia. Related Links
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6 replies
 The Nokia has proven to be helping hand to the ruler peoples. The regions where their are no sources of entertainment like TV , PC, etc for them Nokia cell phones are the best. The Nokia cell phone comes at an affordable price range and are really good cell with lots of latest features. Among the Nokia cell phones the Nokia 3110 Classic is one of the best phone for them. By: Ponting432 days ago Ya, true. I also have the same feeling that this is not going to help poor people in rural areas. If Nokia is really feeling for rural people, they can come in collaboration with Indian Govt. and can expose the phone to every single in the rural areas. By: Arti716 days ago The phone only costs roughly rupees 2500. But agree for some people in rural india it may be huge amount. Those who can afford to make 100 rupees per week payments, Nokia has value to offer. These are the people who may not have a TV, certainly won't have a computer. A small mobile phone can connect them with information that could prove valuable for them. I think it's a good idea. How successful it will be given the monsoon state is a big question though. By: dolly1006 days ago Why charge for service too... if govt. of india can waive farmer loans it can finance mobile phones for farmers too. But if the drought worsens Nokia will be scaling back its plan and govt. will have to worry about feeding the poor. Without compelling information services for farmers this plan is bound to dry up in the drought. By: Jagad1006 days ago Nokia should offer free mobile phones to the poor farmers and charge for the applications/information. This could be done in collaboration with Indian government. I don't understand how microfinancing helps people who are struggling to make enough to feed their families. By: Shubham1006 days ago |
