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Nokia Targets 'Next Billion' Web Users
By Phil Barker on September 20,
 2010 at 00:00,

nokia-world-2010-closing-timeThe way we access the net has changed considerably over the past decade, with people switching from PCs, to laptops, to smartphones. Nokia has ambitious plans for the future, however, aiming to use its Ovi services to get the “next billion” people onto the web. Join us after the cut to find out more...

Searching the internet on our Nokia has become a feature many of us take for granted – with the ability to conduct searches wherever we are when out and about. Many people around the world don't have the luxury of going back to a home PC or laptop, however, and a mobile phone is all they have access to.

It's these more difficult but emerging markets that Nokia is ambitiously targeting, aiming to get poorer and less privileged communities connected, both through the Ovi Store and through Nokia Messaging.

Mary McDowell – the Executive Vice President for Mobile Phones at Nokia – pointed out Nokia's ambitious plans at Nokia World last week, stating: "More people will join the information age using a mobile phone than a PC. With approximately 80 percent of the world's population in reach of a cell tower, it is the mobile phone that will offer the first PC-like experience for many of the next billion people who will come online."

Tags: Nokia Nokia world Ovi
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  • http://www.allanweaver.kindaneat.org Allan

    I guess for the young it may be true that they can brwse using their phone, but as you get older those tiny screens become difficult to read making a PC or a laptop the browser of choice. There is also the amount of browsing allowed on the phone networks. The phone companies are cutting back on their monthly allowances, often to less than a gig. One companies best deal offers 1gig and they describe it as a massive allowance. 1 gig wouldn’t last me a week.

  • andy burgin

    Nokia seem to trying convincience people they are bothered about the internet but they have got to get there mobiles faster to use the internet as you see the iPhone an its fast as any other mobile,but Nokias you wait all the time till its connected right an to slow,so they have got alot of work to do to get there mobiles faster on the internet

  • Phil B

    @Allan: What on Earth are you downloading on your phone?

    It’s pretty difficult for the regular user to get anywhere near 512MB in a month with normal web browsing – eg: checking/sending mail, reading articles, watching YouTube clips etc. Data amounts differ vastly from regular PCs – hence why most users haven’t even realised that some ‘unlimited’ tariffs are capped.

    Very good point RE older users though. Then again, there are some excellent mobile web browsers, with rendering and layouts changed to be optimised for a mobile platform.

    Again though, I think Nokia are also expecting to next billion users to come from emerging markets – rather than existing PC literate ones.

  • MonStar

    @Phil B, actually it\’s pretty easy to hit 512mb per month these days, I\’ve got an unlimited data plan (O2) and I always hit 500mb a month minimum some months I go above that, all I do is read the news in the morning, use email daily, surf the web (not much), download the odd application, might use Google Maps out and about and honestly before you know it you\’ve hit 500mb.

    I\’ve never had any issues with my operator so I\’m guessing if I started hitting 1gb a month they might get on my case but I\’ve been doing this for a couple of years without problems. I think the Nokia browser needs to improve, I\’m using Firefox on my N900, I still think the iPhone Safari browser is streets ahead when it comes to quality web page rendering, but Nokia are getting there, can\’t wait til Meego comes out as these days a quality web browser is absolutely critical for smartphone success. I\’ve got a sneaky feeling Microsoft will get Windows Phone 7 right, just been testing the IE9 Beta on my laptop and Microsoft seem to be headng in the right direction and beginning to understand the internet, the mobile market is growing and there\’s enough space there, to be honest I can see Palm and Blackberry falling behind but Google, Apple, Nokia and Micrsoft will be fine

  • Phil B

    Thanks for that MonStar. That said, sat-nav does tend to hammer data. Ovi Maps is the way forward, download your country via Wi-Fi before you set off!!

    Good point about the browser. Personally, my favourite is Opera Mobile – am a big fan of the multiple homescreens/tabbed browsing/ease of use. Apple’s browser is very good though, you’re right.

    Do you have any particular allegiance to any of the smartphone manufacturers – or d’ya just buy whatever you like best at the time?