It has been a while since Qualcomm, the world’s largest mobile phone chipmaker, began to work with the Brazilian government and local companies to develop a 1-800 system for mobile data. The sponsored data enables mobile device users – even those on prepaid phones with no credit or those who cannot afford a mobile data plan – to use mobile services provided by businesses and governments free of charge.
Frost & Sullivan released a survey showing that if governments wish to improve the reach of public services, sponsored data partnerships are key to engage wider carrier support. In the paper, the consultant firm named Brazil’s Bradesco bank as an example; the company turned to sponsored data to encourage clients to use its mobile banking services, for which the cost per transaction is a mere 5% that of in-person channels.
Before the sponsored data service was launched, only 10% of Bradesco clients used its mobile banking services. In March 2014, Bradesco began offering access to mobile banking services free of charge in a partnership with Brazil’s four-largest mobile carriers: Vivo, Claro, TIM and Oi. Since then, according to Frost & Sullivan, the monthly average for new users has remained high, at 350,000, as the free access marketing helped bring more and more Bradesco clients to mobile banking
As for Qualcomm, the company is betting on the toll-free data for a couple of years and projects are being released already, as pointed out by Oren Pinsky, director for business development at Qualcomm, in a video interview with RCR Wireless News.
