Nokia unveiled the new Nokia Asha 501 in New Delhi on Thursday.
At the launch of the new Nokia Asha 501, the brand announced an exclusive partnership with Facebook. The phone runs on the new Asha platform.
Speaking at the event, Vaughan Smith, Vice-President of Corporate Development for Facebook, said: “Facebook is the primary reason people are upgrading their phones, so we took this opportunity and partnered with Nokia. The biggest opportunity I can see is approximately 5.5 million people who are still not online, and we need to get them on board.”
Smith said that mobile data is tricky, and most people do not have a clear idea of their data usage and what way it is priced. Most people do not understand what they are paying for.
Hence, the Asha 501 providing free Facebook usage could be a big selling point for this entry level smartphone, he said.
“Getting people to try Facebook for free has been a success in other parts of the world,” Smith added. “We tested with Nokia in Mexico, where they sold a lot more smartphones than they would have otherwise in Mexico.”
The Nokia Asha 501 will be available for $99.