DataWind, a low-cost device manufacturer company has just announced that its plans with private mobile phone operator company to unveil budget Android smartphones lineup worth Rs. 3000 that will come with an insane free Internet offer. The company’s Founder and CEO said that it had allotted Rs. 150 Crore for the new project.
The exact figure that the company has raised, according to its Founder and CEO Suneet Singh Tuli is CAD 30 million. He said that the new phones will come with one-year basic internet service at no additional cost. Hence, customers will be able to purchase the phone for about Rs. 3000 and enjoy free basic internet services for one year.
According to the CEO, about 76% of Indian mobile users are using handsets that cost below Rs. 4,000. Take the price down to Rs. 2000 or below and 60% of customers are using those phones. He said that most of these customers are not internet subscribers. The plan is to use the low-cost DataWind handsets and introduce a touch of the web to the larger population.
DataWind has already figured out how to reach its target audience. Although the larger population of India is not using Internet-enabled handsets or using the Internet on those handsets, they do have access to TV, and to reach them, company has partnered with HomeShop18.
DataWind CEO claimed that 80% of the target customers have access to TV, so it should be easy for DataWind to get the message across people can to spend only Rs. 3000 for a mobile phone and enjoy basic internet for a year. It wasn’t immediately confirmed when those DataWind devices may hit the shelves, however.
