Image courtesy of Net1 Mobile
Net1 Mobile Solutions plans to release a solar powered lamp with mobile phone charging facilities in the next two months, followed by a second phase of lamps with the ability to function as Wi-Fi hotspots.
The lamp will target those living without electricity in their homes. The company hopes to keep the prices as low as possible, with lamps costing around ZAR300 (US$29) with further discounts planned one demand is established.
“The idea stems from collecting fireflies and putting them into jars, allowing people to engage in various activities around the light,” said Net1 Mobile managing director (MD) Philip Belamant.
Belamant said the company hopes to “light up lives, rather than the room you are sitting in”, as opposed to previous solar projects that have focused on providing lighting.
“Our objective with the lantern is: ‘lets bring light but at the same time allow that individual to access services’,” he said.
The lamps will feature a main lantern, made up of 36 LEDs, as well as a torch at the bottom of the lamp.
“Furthermore there is a port that provides a USB adaptor with different ports to any handset on the market,” said Belamant. “You can charge anything from a green screen to a feature phone to a smartphone.”
The lamp, which takes eight hours to charge and provides a battery life of up to 12 hours, will be powered by a 20x20com solar panel.
“You can put the panel on your roof and run the cable through the window to charge in your home,” Belamant said.
The second phase, which Belamant said the company is most excited about, will add Wi-Fi functionality to the lamp.
“It works the same way it does on your phone. You can create a hotspot, which the device will do for you, and then the SIM card will be running on an APN [Access Point Name] owned by ourselves [Net1 Mobile], and we will be purchasing bulk data on the back end,” said Belamant.
The company hopes the project will stimulate the generation of jobs and it will be allowing an agency agreement for individuals to provide spare parts and repair services for the lamp.
