Connecting mobile audiences #datafree
A smartphone without data is a dumb phone
The widespread adoption of low cost smartphones in emerging and developing countries has enabled internet access for billions of people around the world for the very first time. Yet high connectivity costs remain as one of the biggest obstacles preventing people from achieving universal access.
A 2016 PwC research report concluded that most of the world simply can’t afford mobile data at current prices. According to the study, for that number to double, data costs would have to fall by 70% globally. Though, in some African markets, costs would have to fall by more than 90% for it to be deemed affordable. Across Africa, just 1GB of data costs an average citizen nearly 18% of their monthly income. By comparison, in Europe, 1GB of data accounts for less than 1% of theirs.
See Data Affordability is Key to Online Engagement in Emerging Markets for more insights.
biNu’s mission is to enable #datafree access to digital content for mobile users in emerging markets.
What is #datafree?
Toll-free data
Over the past two years mobile network operators in many markets have begun offering reverse billed data services that operate on the same principle as toll-free telephone numbers, i.e. providers pay for data usage instead of mobile subscribers.
The advent of toll-free data creates opportunity for organisations of all types to make their websites and smartphone apps ‘zero-rated’ and thereby free of data cost for mobile users to access. Most importantly, zero-rated websites and apps work even when users have no airtime or data balance on their pay-as-you-go SIM cards.
Impact of being #datafree
10x higher user engagement
The old (now superseded) biNu app, originally designed for mobile feature phones then adapted to Android smartphones, was an ‘all-in-one’ experience combining access to news, sports results, Google Search, Wikipedia, book reading plus a messaging and social networking platform in the one app.
In October 2015 as a result of a separately commissioned project to deliver textbooks to tablets for university students, the old biNu app was zero-rated by Econet, the largest mobile network in Zimbabwe.
The direct result of the biNu app being #datafree in Zimbabwe over the following 18 months was ninefold growth in monthly active users from 70,000 to 600,000 and tenfold growth in monthly page views from 100 million to 1 billion. All this growth occurred by word of mouth with no investment in marketing or promotion.
In June 2017 Econet unfortunately removed the zero-rated status of biNu which resulted in an immediate 80% drop in app usage.
The clear lesson learned was that completely removing the data cost barrier to internet services for the average mobile consumer in a developing country market can dramatically increase user engagement, especially to valued content.
The new biNu platform
Powering #datafree websites and apps
Following new investment in September 2016 the biNu technology platform was rebuilt leveraging accumulated know-how, market insights and new technology to focus exclusively on the fast growing adoption of low-cost Android smartphones in emerging markets.
In addition the arrival of mobile operator reverse billing services created opportunity to enable universal access to apps and websites by making them #datafree.
The new biNu technology platform was launched in the South Africa market earlier this year and once proven will be expanded to other African and emerging markets.
biNu currently has reverse billing agreements with all four of the major South African mobile network operators thus providing a single point of service for customers and partners to enable #datafree websites and apps across all networks.
The new biNu technology platform enables #datafree access for:
- existing websites;
- existing smartphone apps;
- new super-lite, data efficient, low data costs apps powered by biNu;
- full screen video ads.
The platform also provides data access security controls plus comprehensive reporting analytics and data insights.
The biNu business strategy is focussed on working with organisations of all types seeking ways to drive user engagement with their digital content by enabling them to make mobile access #datafree.
