Nokia bridges digital divide

Nokia has unveiled a range of entry-level mobile phone handsets that have GPRS functionality and allow ordinary users to access e-mail from their phones.

According to Anand Narang, Nokia's director of entry category marketing, users of the Nokia 5000, 2680 slide, 7070 and 1680 will be able to configure the phones to receive mail from their e-mail providers.

Nokia already has agreements with Yahoo and Hotmail to facilitate this connectivity, he says. Yesterday, Nokia also announced a partnership with local mail provider Webmail to enable the latter's users the same connectivity, he adds.

Narang notes that configuring the phone is simple for users who already have e-mail addresses, as they need only enter the address and password they use for the e-mail connection to synchronise the system.

Users who do not have Web-based e-mail addresses can also set up accounts through their devices.

Nokia says the 5000 and 1680 models will ship in the second quarter, and the 2680 and 7070 in the third quarter. Prices range from 50 euros to 90 euros, before subsidies and taxes, it adds.

Narang says Nokia's new phones are aimed primarily at the replacement market in emerging markets, which he says will account for 50% of new handset sales in the coming year.

The global mobile phone market reached three billion subscribers last year, and is projected to reach four billion subscribers by 2009, he says.

Consumers want more features on their phones, and the introduction of e-mail, camera and MP3 recording devices demonstrates Nokia's willingness to grow with its customers as they demand more from their handsets, he says.

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says Nokia's move is meaningful, as the phone has the potential to bridge the digital divide in Africa.

The key to that tool, however, is affordable data access, not merely data access in its own right, he says.

"Call and data charges make up a far greater proportion of the cost of owning a phone than does the handset cost per se. The handset feeds into an enabling environment that is made up of governments, regulators and telcos. All three of these parties need to contribute to a more affordable environment in which Internet access becomes a natural extension of voice and messaging, rather than a difficult purchase decision."

Jawahar Kanjilal, Nokia's global head of emerging markets services, says adoption of mobile Internet will be driven by a need for specific, locally relevant services. The content will have to be provided in the local language, and where relevant, local script, he says.

BMI-TechKnowledge MD Dennis Smit says mobile Internet penetration will surpass PC-based Internet as connectivity in SA and other developing economies where mobile connectivity exceeds fixed-line.

"Most handsets already have GPRS capability, but the native e-mail functionality in the Nokia handsets, as well as the ability to do things with a minimum number of keystrokes, will take the phone connectivity to a new level," he notes.

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