For many people, email is probably the first thing they check in the morning and the last thing they look at night – not forgetting many times during the day. They usually do this on their personal computers or laptops while at home or at work. Those with email-enabled mobile devices are also able to access their accounts on the go. For many in emerging markets, these seemingly basic needs – the ownership of a personal computer and the ability to have an email account of their own – are considered a luxury available only to small segment of population because of its high cost.
Socio-economically, the emerging markets for mobile devices from
As it is evident from the statistics and consumer researches that emerging markets possess a great potential and scope in the telecommunication sector, that a majority of population in these developing markets is ready for the technology shift. They are capable of accepting the latest technology if it is in their range of accessibility and affordability. Nokia believes in simplifying the connection between people through mobile communications. Understnading the needs of emerging markets, Nokia is developing solutions that aim at empowering the common man and provide consumers with knowledge, entertainment and the ability to connect with friends and family; eventually providing more opportunities for a better life.
Today, a personal computer is more expensive than a mobile device. Most of the people in the developing countries like
Most of the people in these very same emerging markets have Nokia devices; a majority of these devices are now email-optimized. To help them along the path of digital connectivity, Nokia has developed Ovi Mail, an email service that gives consumers a personal digital identity, and can potentially be their first step in discovering the mobile internet. Ovi Mail gives first-time email users the opportunity to set up and start using an email account (username@ovi.com) right on their mobile phone. In the past, creating an email account directly on the mobile phone was unheard of. If someone wanted an email account, they had to have access to a PC. With Ovi Mail, that’s a thing of the past. 25% of the world’s mobile phone users are connected to PC, but for the remaining 75%, there is Ovi Mail, which completely eliminates the need for a computer to have and use an email account.
In a short span of one year, close to 4 million people have activated an Ovi Mail account and the number is growing rapidly. It took just over 6 months to get the first million accounts and reaching almost 4 million only a few months later shows the power of Nokia’s scale and capability to deliver services to the market. Interestingly, the top 10 countries activating Ovi Mail on their devices are from the emerging markets. This rapid uptake and success of the service shows the need for first-time digital identities in emerging markets.
Considering the user’s convenience and to serve them beyond their expectations, Ovi Mail has a storage limit of up to 1 GB. Ovi Mail supports over 100 Nokia device models, in virtually every country in the world. Language is the medium of communication that varies from country to country. To over come the language barrier and to ensure the ease of use, Ovi Mail supports 20 languages including: Arabic (device only), Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Bengali, Finnish (device only), French , German, Hindi, Italian, Latin America Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian (device only), Simplified Chinese (device only), Spanish, Tagalog, Thai (device only), (UK) English, (US) English and Vietnamese with more to come in future.
The real advantage of Ovi Mail is that the account can be created, activated and managed directly from the mobile device, without ever having to use the PC.. There is no charge for downloading and setting up Ovi Mail. However, sending and receiving emails requires data use, so your local operator will charge you for emails sent and received and actions performed within the email service, such as sending and downloading attachments. Although, Ovi Mail is designed for the email experience on the mobile device its usage is not limited to the phone only. Nokia also offers Ovi Mail for PC users, which is available at http://mail.ovi.com.
Ovi Mail is secure and spam-free personal email. People in emerging markets love the convenience of accessing email on their device without having to go to a crowded cyber café. Ovi Mail is also suitable for the advanced email users who have other email accounts but would like to create an email account that is optimized for mobile use and comes with additional service offerings.
Ovi Mail can be a blessing for small-medium business owners. Whether you are considering setting up a business or growing your current one, Ovi Mail allows people, especially those without existing email accounts, to create one directly on their mobile phone, and start sending and receiving emails. Many can get connected to the digital world for the first time, and potentially obtain information and services that will help them to build and grow fruitful businesses. For many people who lead a hectic working day and are always out liaising with suppliers, meeting customers and trying to focus on business development – you need a mobile phone that puts productivity first. If you have a Nokia device, chances are it is already Ovi Mail-enabled; all you need to do is activate it. Ovi Mail is reliable, easy to use and is perfect to keep you connected while on the move – so you can reply to urgent requests and keep your business on track.
Bridging the digital divide, Ovi Mail is the user-friendly messaging that will create increasingly new opportunities for people to do more with less money and less time.