TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Saboteurs threaten South Africa’s power supply

      20 May 2022

      Prosus to sell Russia’s Avito

      20 May 2022

      Curro pilots artificial intelligence for learning in its schools

      20 May 2022

      Dark weekend lies ahead thanks to you know who

      20 May 2022

      CSIR develops app to help kids learn to read

      20 May 2022
    • World

      Chip giant ASML places big bets on a tiny future

      20 May 2022

      Musk moves to soothe investor fears over Tesla

      20 May 2022

      Apple is almost ready to show off its mixed-reality headset

      20 May 2022

      TikTok plans big push into gaming

      19 May 2022

      Musk says he will vote Republican, calls ESG a ‘scam’

      19 May 2022
    • In-depth

      Elon Musk is becoming like Henry Ford – and that’s not a good thing

      17 May 2022

      Stablecoins wend wobbly way into the unknown

      17 May 2022

      The standard model of particle physics may be broken

      11 May 2022

      Meet Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s personal ‘fixer’

      6 May 2022

      Twitter takeover was brash and fast, with Musk calling the shots

      26 April 2022
    • Podcasts

      Dean Broadley on why product design at Yoco is an evolving art

      18 May 2022

      Everything PC S01E02 – ‘AMD: Ryzen from the dead – part 2’

      17 May 2022

      Everything PC S01E01 – ‘AMD: Ryzen from the dead – part 1’

      10 May 2022

      Llew Claasen on how exchange controls are harming SA tech start-ups

      2 May 2022

      The inside scoop on OVEX’s big expansion plans

      20 April 2022
    • Opinion

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022

      How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

      8 April 2022

      Cash is still king … but not for much longer

      31 March 2022

      Icasa on the role of TV white spaces and dynamic spectrum access

      31 March 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Promoted Content»Why operators should be betting big on smart feature phones

    Why operators should be betting big on smart feature phones

    Promoted Content By Radisys19 October 2020
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    The Covid-19 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 are a lifeline, providing access to education, critical government and public services, and health care, as well as ensuring human connection, something easily lost in periods of prolonged isolation.

    Operators 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 operators 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.

    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

    While the continued growth of wireless networks, particularly 4G and 5G, and strengthening competition in the infrastructure OEM space, has helped operators deliver broadband to new markets at a lower cost, the problem of device costs remains. 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 operators and consumers lies in 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.

    Seamless user experience

    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 operators.

    Affordable, feature-rich smart feature phones create new opportunities for operators to expand and shape the user experience for their customers through an ecosystem of fully customisable applications. Operators 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 operators to create new revenue streams through white-labelled applications that drive customer engagement and broadband usage.

    The smart feature phone is more than a handset. It is a premium device that brings leading-edge features and capabilities to the masses and enables subscriber growth, new revenue streams and increased broadband usage for operators, all while providing the connectivity that all people need to fully participate in society.

    Digital Transformation World Summit

    Join Radisys and Reliance Jio on 29 October for a presentation during Digital Transformation World Summit 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.

    • Article written by Aniel Jhingoeri, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa sales & head of embedded platforms and digital endpoints business, Radisys, and Nathan Smith, vice president of product and business development, Reliance Jio
    • This promoted content was paid for by the party concerned
    Aniel Jhingoeri Nathan Smith Radisys Reliance Jio
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleSweeping management changes at MultiChoice
    Next Article Free legal help for South Africans

    Related Posts

    Fast-rising fintech Bankingly closes $11m investment round

    20 May 2022

    Creating an effective employer value proposition for the new era of work

    20 May 2022

    Why fibre is the new utility – and what it means for South Africa

    19 May 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Fast-rising fintech Bankingly closes $11m investment round

    20 May 2022

    Creating an effective employer value proposition for the new era of work

    20 May 2022

    Why fibre is the new utility – and what it means for South Africa

    19 May 2022
    Opinion

    A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

    19 May 2022

    From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

    19 April 2022

    How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

    8 April 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.