India telecoms are rolling out the $20 cell phone. Developed by Spice, its a no-nonsense, no frills phone aimed at the lowest end of the market . There is no screen. It’s a phone that only makes phone calls! What a revolutionary concept! But with half the world without any phone service, there is a huge market in developing nations.
The telecoms industry expects the number of people owning a mobile phone to grow from 3 billion to at least 4 billion over the next three years.
With the "people's phone", Spice is joining the race to sell handsets to the up-and-coming new generation of Asian, African and South American consumers dubbed "the next billion".
The company will begin selling its people's phone in Asian markets from next month. Spice has already suggested prices can be stripped down further and that a £5 mobile is not far away. Meanwhile, India, the world's fastest-growing market for mobile phones is a prime target for mobile manufacturers.
It is estimated that more than 870 million of India's 1.1 billion population are yet to own a phone. Mobile subscribers in the country are expected to more than double in the next three years, to 500 million.
(business.timesonline)
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