Simplifyd Systems Inc., a YCombinator backed Nigerian startup with the ambition to become the platform of choice for data-free access to the Internet across Africa, has launched an initiative- ZeroData.
ZeroData is a toll-free internet application platform, to solve the challenges associated with accessing affordable data amidst the staggering rate of data consumption, especially amongst mobile and web app users in emerging markets across Africa.
Founded in 2020 by Tomi Amao, Mayowa Amao, Sam Keiru and Abiola Fajimi, the company has raised over $500,000 in pre-seed funding from YCombinator and Future Africa.
“ZeroData is designed to cater to both users with active data plans and those with none. For users with an active data plan, their data plan isn’t consumed when they make use of the application. Our app also enables users with no active data plans to enjoy uninterrupted access to the Internet apps listed on the platform,” Tomi Amao, Co-founder and CEO of Simplifyd, said.
With ZeroData, the company is on a mission to solve Africa’s worrying data affordability challenge, alongside the drive to support greater digital inclusion across the continent.
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Users will only need to download the Zerodata app available for mobile (Android) and desktop (MacOS and Windows). This provides them with instant data-free access to listed apps and websites. The ZeroData platform also allows businesses to bundle data with their apps for the purpose of making them accessible and data-free to those who need it most.
“For us, the realization that Africans pay the highest rate for mobile internet in the world proportional to income is worrying. This is a significant challenge that we are happy to solve sustainably through the launch of ZeroData. At the moment, smartphone penetration in Africa sits at 50 percent and the numbers are steadily rising. What you’ll typically find is that the market favours low data apps, owing to prevailing realities around data affordability,” Amao said.
In Nigeria, data consumption is a growing concern. Reports from Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that usage surged by 202.08 percent in three years – 2018, 2019 and 2020 amidst growing data usage across Africa.
According to GSMA, Nigeria had 53 million smartphone connections in 2018 and GSMA estimates that smartphone connections will rise to 154 million by 2025. Experts believe the uptake in data usage across Africa is largely driven by mobile devices, with GSM having a large portion of the market.
ZeroData’s policies will help organizations define who should have data-free access to their apps, how much data free access does each user get, and how best to geolocate data-free access to users in a particular location among others.
