Latest Mobile Phones Use Green Energy
Solar Phones and Chargers Could Open $2.3 Billion Market
Nov 11, 2009
Mobile phones are revolutionizing daily life in rural areas of the developing world. Farmers use their phones to check market prices, entrepreneurs access credit information, and everyone keeps in touch with relatives who have migrated to the city or abroad.
But an estimated 485 million mobile users worldwide have no access to the electricity grid. They rely on small shops and kiosks that charge phones for a fee, in some cases through hook-ups to portable car batteries. The cost and inconvenience of pay-per-charge means that many rural users leave their phones off most of the time, resulting in missed calls and missed revenues for operators.
New mobile phones and chargers that use solar power can vastly expand phone usage among these new, mostly low-income users. At the same time, off-grid charging technologies promise to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.
Green Electricity Solutions for Consumers and Communities
There are two basic types of off-grid charging technologies: individual and community.
Individual solutions include phone handsets with built-in solar chargers, typically a solar panel on the back of the phone. Stand-alone external chargers are also available. They are the property of the individual consumer, who bears their cost.
Community solutions reach larger numbers of people. Examples include a charging dock attached to a base station (mobile phone tower) or a solar charging station in a village center. They may be run by mobile operators or by other entities such as nongovernmental organizations.
When the charger is integrated into the phone itself, its use is limited to the phone. Auxiliary chargers and community charging technologies can also be used to power other devices such as lights and radios, an important advantage in rural areas.
Safaricom in Kenya
Kenya offers a glimpse of the potential of renewable charging technologies in the developing world. More than 40 percent of Kenyans own a mobile phone, but only 23 percent of the population has access to the electricity grid.
Safaricom, the leading mobile operator in Kenya, is marketing a new ZTE phone with a solar panel built into the handset. Launched in August 2009, the Simu ya Solar (“solar-powered phone”) is made from recycled materials. It costs the equivalent of $40, slightly more than a conventional mobile phone, but the user saves money on charging costs.
In addition, Safaricom has added charging docks to its base stations in off-grid areas. The charging dock is attached to an extension cable, and people can plug in their own phone chargers for free. The BTS charging station can charge up to ten phones at the same time.
Business Opportunity for Mobile Phone Operators
Off-grid charging offers a lucrative business opportunity, according to GSMA, which represents the worldwide mobile phone industry. The association estimates that solar charging, if made widely available at affordable cost, could boost average revenues per phone user by 10 to 14 percent.
With 485 million mobile users lacking access to the electric grid, that translates into a $2.3 billion business opportunity, according to GSMA.
A study conducted by the GSMA Development Fund Mobile Phone Use in 2009 found strong interest in off-grid charging among mobile operators covering Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Sixty percent either already had such technologies or were investigating them.
For more information: GSMA Development Fund, Green Power for Mobile: Charging Choices: Off-Grid Charging Solutions for Mobile Phones
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