Nokia has unveiled Nokia Life in Kenya, offering a free 30-day trial period of the SMS based service with the option of subscribing for as little as KSh2 daily.
The service, available to both Safaricom and Airtel subscribers, will be available in both
English and Kiswahili and is hoped to help bridge the information gap in society and facilitate learning.
Nokia Life will offer services under the education, health, spirituality and entertainment categories, aligning closely to the expressed needs of local users.
It has been developed in conjunction with organisations such as the British Council, Foundation for Social Change, Global Children’s Charity and Plan International.
Recent research by Strategy Analytics placed Kenyan mobile penetration at 75 per cent, with one billion SMSs sent by Kenyans between July and September 2012.
“Nokia Life is an important part of our strategy to connect the next billion,” said Bruce Howe, general manager for Nokia East Africa.
Research by the Nokia Research Centre in Nairobi further showed Kenyans were ready and waiting for services that could help them learn business skills and tips for running small businesses.
The research further concluded Kenyans were thirsty for information regarding entertainment, education and health services, and willing to pay if such services added
value to their lives and were not overpriced.
“Kenya, like many emerging markets, has numerous social needs. Traditional channels don’t always provide the solution, but the enormous uptake of mobile phones creates an opportunity for locally relevant information to be disseminated via mobile,” adds Bruce.
