South African company, World Panel Inc is set to launch hand-held solar chargers at AfricaCom event in South Africa next week targeting sub-Saharan market where most households are yet to be connected to the power grid.
The World Panel portable chargers will be unveiled at the largest African telecoms conference to showcase solutions that would help the industry to reduce losses linked to charging mobile phones.
It will also provide branding opportunities for wireless carriers and their partners.
In a media statement, World Panel says a key feature of the new chargers is the patented ‘direct-from-the-sun’ technology that charges a phone as fast as a wall outlet and allows for a low price-point as well as durability.
“I arrived in the sub-Sahara in 2011 with a solar prototype for boiling water and left with the clear message that people wanted a better way to keep their phones charged,” said World Panel CEO John Anderson.
“After an intense R&D and testing period, I am returning to Africa to launch a line of patented chargers that meets the requirements of those I interviewed: it is as fast as a wall plug, it will last, and the price is right. Income generation is possible also for both entrepreneurs and the telecoms since 10 phones can be charged in a day.”
Utility-grade materials from the solar industry are used in the construction of the rugged devices so they can endure the harshest environmental conditions in the sub-Sahara.
The chargers can power USB devices and can be linked together using the firm’s patent-pending PowerLink to double or triple the output.
Recent independent tests performed on the chargers show that the most popular phones in Africa charge in an hour, which provides five to six hours of talk time.
By eliminating the charging costs associated with phone ownership in many areas, and allowing for fast and easy charging for up to 10 phones per day via free sun energy, operators can review programmes that recoup the cost of the chargers within a few months and generate average revenue per user for years to come.
On-the-go charging can pave the way for more airtime purchases and smart phone use.
GSMA states that charging solutions represent a $3.37 billion opportunity for the operators, and the UN’s energy initiative has published that African telecoms suffer a 20 per cent revenue loss due
to unreliable phone charging.
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