Nokia to approach rural market

Following the move of automobile and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors, Nokia – the world’s largest mobile handset maker is now trying to penetrate the rural market viewing its huge business potential.

Mobile phone market is now approaching its saturation point in urban areas, where companies are facing stiff competition, while rural market is yet in its nascent stage.

According to D Shivakumar, Vice-President and Managing Director, Nokia India, ‘the ratio of mobile subscribers in rural market is mere 12% in comparison to 81% in urban India.’

To fetch the strong base of 812 million rural populations, mobile companies are preparing several versatile strategies in which Nokia is on front position.

To gain entry into the market of far and wide areas, Nokia has tied up with a microfinance institution ‘SKS Mirofinance’ that has 653 branches across 15 states.

Luring to farmers, Nokia is going to introduce an innovative Value-Added-Services (VAS) ‘Nokia Life Tools’ that covers a wide range of services including agriculture, education and entertainment. This pioneering service will not only entertain the farmers but also provide comprehensive information about seeds, fertilizers and their market prices. On the other hand, the children of the villages can learn English, prepare for examination and acquire career tips from this tool, said Nokia in a statement.

This new service is schedule to release from June at testing level, while after getting positive feedback, it will be released in rest of country, the company added.