14 DAY TRIAL // Digicel, the Pan-Caribbean mobile network operator, announced that it would start selling a low-cost mobile phone that is solar-powered. The new handset, dubbed Coral-200-Solar, is manufactured by ZTE, and uses proprietary technology from the innovator Intivation, a Dutch-based company.
Digicel has been offering to its users low-cost or free portable solar chargers in many markets since the beginning of the last year. The concept has seen great success, as it involved a linking charger device and a phone. The company brings the initiative to a new level through the addition of the Coral-200-Solar, which integrates a solar charger built into the phone.
According to the maker, almost two billion people all around the world have limited or no access to electricity. At the same time, consumers from many emerging markets where Digicel provides cellular services would be able to benefit from the access to a mobile handset that could be powered by the Sun, while also being chargeable through electric power when it is available.
As Tom Bryant, Digicel Group VP Distribution Procurement, says, the solar-powered handsets would be able to fulfill the needs of power-challenged users across the globe. The concept of solar-powered handsets is not a new one, and the fresh Coral-200-Solar one becomes a reality through the technology and manufacturing skills of Digicel's partners Intivation and ZTE. Digicel offers such a device for the first time, but Tom Bryant expects the company's customers to be highly attracted by the idea.
Mr. Xiong Hui, VP of ZTE’s handset division, believes that “As mobile phones continue to proliferate in emerging markets and are widely used where electricity is available, mobile operators are demanding more innovative handsets. We are confident that the Digicel Coral-200-Solar is such a product and that solar power technology can be used in any type of handset. We are pleased to provide this handset with Digicel and Intivation. It will help millions of consumers worldwide to use mobile phones more conveniently and the technology is more environment-friendly.”
The handset can offer up to 15 minutes of talk time after being charged for about one hour in the Sun. The new Coral-200-Solar will be available in selected markets starting with June, according to Digicel. The price of the handset, which is being showcased by ZTE at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is expected to be set at around $40.