Jana’s mCent Browser Provides Unrestricted Internet Access for the Next Billion

As the largest provider of free data in emerging markets, Jana is taking the next step toward fulfilling its mission to make the internet free for the next billion by introducing mCent Browser. mCent Browser’s ad-sponsored model provides Android users in emerging markets with free, unrestricted access to online content. In the initial phase, users can receive up to 10 MB data per day or 70 MB free data per week. As more advertisers are added to the platform, the data limit will increase, to reach the ultimate goal of providing one billion mobile users in India and beyond with unlimited access to the internet.

“Our mission is to make the internet free for the next billion. We aim to provide unrestricted access to the entire internet, with a quality user experience,” said Nathan Eagle, CEO and Co-Founder of Jana. “Through mCent Browser, users can now pick up their phone every day and browse the internet without worrying about high data costs.”

Jana is launching mCent Browser in India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, in March 2017 and expanding into other markets over the next year. According to GSMA, India will be home to almost one billion unique mobile subscribers. The affordability and adoption of Android devices continues to increase in emerging markets, yet mobile data costs remain high.

“Until now, high data costs have made users more selective and data conscious, which has posed a challenge to advertisers trying to engage those users through mobile ads,” said Jonathan D’Souza, Jana’s Country Manager in Mumbai. “mCent Browser will not only provide an opportunity for users to freely browse the internet, but also offers advertisers a way to reach emerging market consumers by integrating their brand into the browser experience.”

In a time where ad-blocking is increasing in popularity around the world, mCent Browser bridges the divide between advertisers and users through the ad-sponsored data model. Native advertising options allow an advertiser’s brand message to follow the natural user experience flow, while simultaneously providing value to the user.

“Advertisers are able to incorporate their marketing into mCent Browser without fracturing the consumer experience,” said Dan O’Brien, VP of Product at Jana. “Unlike traditional ads that interrupt the user experience, Jana’s user-first approach leverages native advertising options to enable immediate user access to content. Through mCent Browser, brands provide their target consumers with access to the mobile data they need, while still increasing brand recall, favourability, and perception.”

With hundreds of millions of consumers entering the emerging middle class, India has become one of the fastest growing mobile advertising markets in the world. eMarketer predicts that by 2020, mobile ad spend will represent 50% of all digital ad spending in India. Globally, there will be over 6.1 billion smartphone users in 2020, many of whom will continue to face the challenge of mobile data costs [Ericsson]. mCent Browser is the solution to help make the internet free for these next billion users.