The year 2020 has been unlike any other in recent memory. As the global pandemic forced communities and nations to go into lockdown to help prevent spread of the coronavirus, being able to connect to the Internet became a vital necessity to how we work, live and play.

Families with affordable Internet access – the connected – were able to transition easily to working from home and remote schoolwork. They even have unlimited access to entertainment and online social interactions with family and friends.

However, the unconnected were more likely to fall behind in education, employment, healthcare and more.

Communication technology remains critical to “bridging the digital divide”, and the right mobile device for emerging markets is a key component. There is no better time for communication service providers (CSPs) to embrace the mobile device market to connect their communities and to bring the benefits of mobile broadband and the digital lifestyle to everyone.

Affordable and feature-rich

While our daily lives have become more digital than ever, there are still millions of people who lack access to mobile or broadband Internet access. For these people, a mobile phone is their most important digital device. CSPs can lower the barrier to entry in the “smart” modern communication space for their communities this holiday season by supplying affordable yet powerful feature-rich mobile devices.

Radisys’s Reach phone is a premium-quality, smart 4G feature phone that comes pre-loaded with seamless and user-friendly mobile apps making it ready to use right out of the box. By making the phone widely accessible to customers in South Africa, CSPs can give the gift of connectivity to people throughout the country, in both urban and rural communities. In addition, CSPs can readily build their subscriber base, grow revenues through a customised app ecosystem, and increase average revenue per user.

The consumer experience

To enable communities to bridge the digital divide, mobile phones must deliver more than just voice and text services. The Radisys Reach phone extends the user experience beyond voice and chat with value-added features such as video calling, video and music streaming, and more. Powered by KaiOS, a highly optimised and efficient lightweight mobile operating system, the Radisys Reach phone supports VoLTE, Wi-Fi, GPS, FM radio, longer battery life and over-the-air software updates.

When gathering together with friends and family, watching video content on a mobile phone is less than ideal. The Radisys smart feature phone comes packaged with ReachCast, a plug-and-play accessory that lets people easily stream live TV, movies and more from their phone directly to any television with no additional cost or equipment needed.

While the pandemic will continue into 2021, staying connected must remain a top priority for individuals, families and global communities.

The Radisys Reach phone will keep people connected to the information and services they need. When visiting your preferred local communication service provider, ask about device availability for the Reach phone and get ready to transform your digital life and world.

For more, visit radisys.com.