Third largest mobile operating system after Android and iOS, KaiOS said its next phase of expansion is Africa, which it described as the emerging market for its smart feature phone brands.
Although, reasons have not been given for the decision, but it is not unrelated to the fact that the smart feature phone segment has reached a saturation stage in India, where it garnered 100 million users over the last few years.
Africa, it is believed offers a more compelling proposition for KaiOS. According to Counterpoint Research, nine out of the top 20 countries with the highest potential for smart feature phones are in Africa. Earlier this year, KaiOS announced MTN Smart, marking its foray into the African market. Soon after the MTN Smart, it launched the Orange Sanza.
Launch of both devices was through operator partnerships, something that KaiOS prioritizes. Not only is Orange partnering KaiOS to launch smart feature phones in Africa, but the operator has also participated in a Series B funding.
Partnerships with operators will help KaiOS make further inroads in African countries. In fact, through operator partnerships, KaiOS devices are already available in 22 countries across Africa. Clearly, Africa will be the next most important market for KaiOS after India. However, it might be a bit more challenging for KaiOS to replicate the scale and success it gained in India.
Among other use-cases like elderly population, and users looking for easy form-factors, the primary target consumers for KaiOS are the first-time high-speed internet users. These are mostly bottom of the pyramid population, which either has never experienced a mobile phone or are using traditional feature phones with limited data connectivity.
Such users need to be shown the positive effects of data services to prepare them for monetization. Data needs to become a habit for the consumer before it opens up revenue opportunities. Hence, keeping the initial cost of accessibility, low and developing relevant content should be the prime focus, and if successfully achieved, it will be pivotal for growth.