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DTW (Digital Transformation World)
There is still a significant gap in access to technology and information across the globe and nowhere is that gap more prevalent than in rural and emerging markets.
Expanding the subscriber base by connecting the unconnected
Join Radisys and Reliance Jio on October 29 for a presentation at the TM Forum Digital Transformation World Series to learn more about the opportunities a smart feature phone can provide to operators. The presentation will feature a discussion on a new model based on real-world deployments which can unlock the potential for massive subscriber growth in various regions. The current global pandemic has proven how undeniably essential digital connectivity and services are to keeping economies running and people connected. Thanks to smartphones and easy access to high performance mobile broadband networks, most people are more digitally connected than ever before. There is, however, still a significant gap in access to technology and information across the globe. Nowhere is that gap more prevalent than in rural and emerging markets.
According to the World Economic Forum, 3.7 billion people still lack access to the internet, with fewer than one in five people in the least developed nations connected. Affordable, dependable mobile and broadband services is a lifeline, providing access to education, critical government and public services, and healthcare, as well as ensuring human connection, something easily lost in periods of prolonged isolation.
Communications Service Providers (CSPs) face big challenges in delivering broadband services to rural areas due to the tremendous cost of building their networks into these more remote, less populated locations. The high cost for the CSP often results in broadband services being prohibitively expensive for consumers and businesses in these markets. Device costs have also been an added deterrent to broadband adoption. Smartphones are the key to unlocking the value of broadband, but the price tag has hindered uptake in many rural and developing markets. Where broadband service has been available, mass adoption has been curtailed by these cost obstacles.
While the continued growth of wireless networks, particularly 4G and 5G, and strengthening competition in the infrastructure OEM space has helped CSPs deliver broadband to new markets at a lower cost, the problem of device costs remain. Users in these newly developing markets need a device that will deliver all the benefits that broadband has to offer, but it needs to be at a price that they can afford. The answer for both CSPs and consumers lies with powerful, yet affordable, smart feature phones.
Smart feature phones are packed with an array of applications and cutting-edge features, as well as being built with high quality hardware at an affordable price. With an accessible price, smart feature phones connect the unconnected and provide subscribers in emerging markets with a rich, digital experience with broadband-like access via existing 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE mobile networks. These affordable devices make broadband capabilities and advanced features accessible for all users, particularly people in rural and underserved areas. One-touch and single sign on capabilities are some of the ways the smart feature phone delivers a seamless user experience, making it easy for users of all ages and abilities to use and understand the device. Smart feature phones support traditional voice and messaging, while adding video calling and rich messaging functionality. High-demand services such as money transfer and online payments can be configured as easy-to-use one-touch features. The smart feature phone even enables movie streaming and other forms of entertainment directly from the device in a cost-effective manner. The extensive feature set and capabilities of the device make it appealing to subscribers, as well as present an attractive economic model for CSPs.
The affordable, feature-rich smart feature phones create new opportunities for CSPs to expand and shape the user experience for their customers through an ecosystem of fully customizable applications. CSPs can tailor their services and pre-load the phone with applications that their unique users want, allowing them to expand their range and increase subscriber growth in rural and emerging markets. Smart feature phones allow CSPs to create new revenue streams through white-labeled applications that drive customer engagement and broadband usage.
The smart feature phone is more than just a handset. It is a premium device that brings cutting -edge features and capabilities to the masses and enables subscriber growth, new revenue streams and increased broadband usage for CSPs, all while providing the connectivity that all people need to fully participate in society.
