DHAKA - Nokia will be opening the door to information, entertainment, family and friends, by bringing the Internet closer to reality in emerging markets with the introduction of new phones and solutions, particularly Ovi Mail, according to senior Nokia officials.
“Globally, mobile devices are used by four billion people,” says Prem Chand, General Manager, Emerging Asia, Nokia, adding that two out of three people in the world have access to a mobile device.
“I believe the mobile phone will be the fourth screen,” he said, explaining that the first screen is the cinema, while the second and third are the television and the computer screens, respectively. He was speaking at last week’s launch of Ovi Mail and new Internet enabled phones at a Nokia media roadshow for Emerging Markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
In today’s world it is necessary to be connected and have access to the Internet. East Asia however has one of the lowest Internet penetration rates in Asia.
The number of Internet users in Bangladesh is 0.5 million, in Nepal is 0.397 million, in Sri Lanka 0.77 million and India 8.1 million.. The Internet penetration in Bangladesh is 0.30%, in Nepal 1.40%, in Sri Lanka 3.70%, and in India is 7.10% (as a % of total population).
The number of computers per 100 inhabitants in Bangladesh is 2.42, Sri Lanka 3.54 in Sri Lanka and Nepal 0.49. Nokia officials say this is where mobile Internet comes in, as it paves the way towards affordable and convenient access to the Internet.
Nokia’s solution to this is their email offering, that of Ovi Mail (http://www.ovi.com), which allows you to access email directly through the mobile.
This service is supported on all Nokia Series 40 devices, a personal computer (PC) is not required and it has a simple three-step set up, where one would follow set up directions, create a user name and finally create one’s own email address.
The service is currently offered in English but in the near future will be offered in Sinhala and Tamil in Sri Lanka, where you would have the ability to set up email addresses in a local language. “In 2002, Nokia unveiled a strategy to lower the cost of owning and operating a mobile phone and to bring the benefits of mobile telephony to people in emerging markets,” said Paula Laine, Vice President, Entry Category Marketing, Nokia, adding, that today, Nokia will be expanding that vision by introducing a number of devices and services that aim to bring the power of the Internet to these markets.
She added that there are 1.8 million new mobile subscribers daily, with most of them emerging from emerging markets. “You are given empowerment,” Mr. Chand says, “as all you have to do is walk into the office of your local mobile subscriber and subscribe to the service.” Through Ovi Mail the Internet will be affordable and available to everyone. More people have access to a mobile rather than a PC and they would be more comfortable using a mobile, as such the lower rung of users will benefit through Ovi Mail.
The latest devices offered by Nokia which will be email enabled will be the Nokia 2330 and the 2323 Classic.
The former would be priced at US$ 60 while the latter will be US$ 50 and released in the market by June this year. The third quarter of this year will see the Nokia 2730 Classic in the market – a 3G phone for US$ 110. |
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