314 million mobile users in eight countries enjoyed over 3.4 petabytes of free mobile data during 2020 via Upstream’s Zero-D portal, announced Upstream on Monday.
Mobile operators like Vivo in Brazil and Vodacom in South Africa, having deployed Zero-D, offered 41 million hours of browsing or 6.9 million hours of video streaming to their users during a year when connectivity was crucial for people to stay informed, entertained and in touch with their loved ones.
Upstream said its ad-funded free mobile internet portal, Zero-D, was deployed by 10 mobile operators across eight emerging markets, including Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Ghana and Kenya in 2020. In 2021, Upstream expects its connectivity portal to reach over 400 million users, as it has already launched in Nigeria and is now planning to partner with the largest mobile operator in the country, as well as to further expand in Tunisia.
Zero-D is a core component of the company’s multichannel customer acquisitions and engagement platform, designed to help mobile operators keep their users connected to the internet, even when they have run out of data. This is critical in emerging markets where a lack of fixed-line infrastructure combined with high mobile data costs often leaves users digitally stranded. The portal allows users to access basic internet services such as news, email, messaging apps and government services, helping operators increase customer retention and engagement as well as upsell data packages.
Upstream Deputy CEO, Kostas Kastanis
Affecting real change top operators like Vivo, and Vodacom are offering free internet access to those unable to top up keeping them connected in trying circumstances. Doing good they are also uncovering new revenue streams that might otherwise be out of reach. We’re already planning to go live with Zero-D with a second operator in Tunisia and will be launching the service with Nigeria’s largest mobile network operator soon.
