India's Smartphone Economy
Feature Phones and the Next Users
Why many Indians still use basic feature phones, JioPhone's cheap 4G feature phone, UPI 123PAY for feature phones, and how to bring the next users online.
Many Indians still use feature phones.
Who
- Older people.
- Rural and poorer users.
- People who want a cheap second phone.
JioPhone
Jio launched a cheap 4G feature phone in 2017, and the JioBharat phone in 2023.
UPI for feature phones
UPI 123PAY, launched in 2022, lets feature phone users make UPI payments.
Barriers
- Price of smartphones.
- Digital skills.
- Gender gaps: women are less likely to own phones.
Economics
Cheaper phones and data expand the digital economy.
The feature phone payment
A vegetable seller uses UPI 123PAY on her feature phone to receive payments.
Thinking everyone in India has a smartphone
Many still use feature phones.
Key takeaways
- Many Indians use feature phones.
- JioPhone offered cheap 4G.
- UPI 123PAY works on feature phones.
- Price, skills and gender are barriers.
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