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Solar-Powered New Generation Public Phone

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About this project

Mobile phones are a lifeline in the underserved last-mile communities, providing them with critical information, access to services & opportunities, often for the 1st time; but 700million underprivileged adults in the developing world do have one primarily because they can not afford the cheapest available 

Majority of these communities are off-grid

SIMPHONI is leveraging its expertise & experience form delivering telecommunication and distributed solar power in East Africa to create a Solar-Powered New Generation Public Phone that will combine the safety & security features of a mobile phone with smart-card usage functionalities of a Point-Of Sale machine, and enable these communities to make phone calls, SMS, as well as send & receive payments without the need for a mobile phone or electricity to charge one   

 

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Visibility
Public
Last updated
25 Apr 2021

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Proposal

Our Proposal

Need: which problem(s) does your proposal solve?

Mobile connectivity gap leaves close to 1billion people out of the benefits of phone use in poor communities including financial inclusion, new agricultural technologies, Pay-As-You-Go service opportunities, healthcare information etc

Majority of these communities use the phone for essential reasons, sometimes one per week; a public phone within their community form where they can call, SMS & make payments securely form their own registered smart cards opens up the world for them to prosper 

Approach: how does your project solve the problem(s)?

We're designing a solar-powered public phone device which is compliant with global Know-Your-Customer (KYC) regulations regulations  

A subscriber only needs a smart/SIM card costing $1 and registered in his/her name to make calls, SMS & send/receive payments just like a mobile phone functions 

The card is recharged like current SIM card

A community of uptown 1000 people can share 1 phone device 

Other barriers to mobile phone ownership like on-the-go mobile phoenusage form women which is prohibited among some communities in South Asia is solved with the community phone

SIMPHONI phone device is programmed in 2languages: official & national/local ie English & Gujarati (India), French & Lingala (DRC), English & Swahili (Kenya/Tanazania) etcetera to mitigate the semiliteracy challenges and enhance simplicity of use 

Device software simplest with call, SMS & mobile money functions only 

 

Alternatives: what other alternatives could solve the problem(s)?
Benefits: what are the benefits of your proposal?

Unlock telecommunication & elated opportunities for 700million people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid across Africa, South Asia & parts of Southern/Central America 

Advantage: what gives your project the competitive edge?

Majority of Mobile Network Operators (MNO) focus on service delivery to people with mobile phones; some MNOs have programs to make feature phones much cheaper but there a limit in which they go, leaving many absolute poor poor without any alternative 

Such absolutely poor people have low average revenue per user (essential phone users) and may not be profitable to MNOs, hence the less focus

The number of unconnected people was shrinking due to many interventions by many players: UNDP, MNOs, governments etcetera, but the number has remained stagnant since 2017 and is likely to grow with COVID-19 impact of economies that will make hundreds of millions more people slide into absolute poverty 

All these make this innovation urgent at this point in time 

Prospective Partners: what might you expect from prospective project partners?

We need £1million to develop the device & pilot the idea in East Africa, after which we can work with USAID (who we spoke to them earlier) to work with us to scale across 50countries most impacted by mobile non-connectivity