Homegrown messaging application, Hike today announced a strategic partnership with telecom operator Bharti Airtel. Under the partnership, Hike will be embedding its recently announced feature 'Total,' on mobile devices under Airtel's Mera Pehla Smartphone initiative. Starting March 2018, select smartphones under the Mera Pehla Smartphone program will be shipped with Hike Total as a pre-installed feature.
With the added benefit of ‘Total’ on all smartphones under Mera Pehla Smartphone program, users can access essential services such as messaging, news, recharge and more even without an active data connection and easily get online with access to data packs for as low as Re 1. Yes, that's the highlight of the Total by Hike as it offers data packs starting at as low as Re 1.
The Total by Hike feature has four key elements:
- Single Login: A Single Login via the Phone Number for all of the Total services such as Messaging, News, Horoscope, Recharge, Wallet, Cricket Scores and Rail information.
- Light Services: < 100 kb to 1 MB: Services on ‘Total, built by hike’ take between < 100 kb to 1 MB ensuring a lightweight footprint on the device.
- Works without Data: All of the services built on Total can be accessed even without Data via proprietary technology.
- Sachet Data Packs: Users will be able to purchase Sachet Data Packs starting as low as Re. 1 from inside the Total experience itself with the goal of lowering the cost of access and introducing people to data.
Kavin Bharti Mittal, Founder and CEO, Hike, said “With ‘Total’ on ‘Mera Pehla Smartphones’, first-time users will find it easy understand and navigate a smartphone. Using data is also simplified and ‘Total’ users can get online with special data packs starting as low as Re 1/-. This is really powerful. We are very clear that to get a billion people online, we need to make the whole process of coming online a lot simpler, less intimidating as well as cost-effective and this partnership with Airtel is likely to do that”
Airtel announced the ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ back in October 2017 with an aim to bring down the prices of 4G smartphones from select brands. Until now, Airtel has partnered with brands such as Karbonn, Celkon, itel, Intex, etc.
With this partnership, Airtel is looking to add more users on board, and it will also lead to an improvement in Hike's overall subscriber base too.
