GSMA Research: Mobile off-grid charging solutions are a $2.3 billion market opportunity
By Dusan Belic on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 12:56 AM PST In Research
Simu Ya Solar - solar phone launched at Safaricom
A new GSMA report titled “Charging Choices” has revealed a $2.3 billion opportunity in the off-grid charging solutions such as solar phones or external solar chargers in emerging markets. GSMA’s Green Power for Mobile (GPM) programme commissioned the research, estimating there are 485 million mobile users without access to the electricity grid. Furthermore, a range of charging choices have been identified — all which could extend service availability and boost average revenues per user by 10-14%.
The research has found a significant interest in off grid solutions, with 60% of mobile operators interviewed already have or are exploring off-grid charging initiatives. However, there is currently only limited understanding about the full scope of options and the associated social and business benefits. Digicel and Safaricom, however, have demonstrated how to do this properly with their eco-friendly offerings… Additional details are available from the official press release.
