Cell messaging service Hike simply launched Complete, a brand new service that lets Android customers in India make funds to companies and switch cash, learn information, guide prepare tickets, and chat with their contacts on the platform – all with out cell information.

The corporate, which claims 100 million customers on its platform, has been working for six months on Complete, with the goal of creating primary providers obtainable to people who find themselves but to expertise the cell net for the primary time – and ultimately get them on-line to expertise the total suite of Hike Messenger’s providers. And it’s truly relatively ingenious.

You’ll be able to ship and obtain texts and stickers on Hike’s Complete with out information

Talking to TNW, CEO Kavin Mittal defined that whereas there are about 400 million distinctive smartphone customers in India, about 200 million of them don’t entry the online usually, or in any respect – although cell information in India is believed to cheaper than virtually anyplace else on the earth. With Complete, there’s a possibility to achieve that section of customers over the following couple of years.

So, how do you allow funds, ship information, and permit for messaging with out information? The parents at Hike constructed what it’s calling Common Switch Protocol (UTP), based mostly on the us tech that’s been current on each GSM cellphone for years to ship content material from carriers with out the necessity for 3G/4G information – it’s what powers the content material within the SIM Toolkit you’ll discover in your Android gadget, and the identical system that allows you to retrieve your cell information steadiness by dialing a carrier-specified quantity.

Plus, it’s optimized Complete providers, which additionally embody horoscopes, sports activities scores, and entry to your Hike digital pockets, to suit into tiny information packets that may be swiftly transmitted through USSD. And it permits funds by way of each its personal digital pockets, in addition to through India’s nationwide Common Funds Interface (UPI) protocol that permits totally free cash transfers between financial institution accounts.

By partnering with a few native handset makers, Hike has embedded UTP into the Android platform to permit for a consumer expertise throughout the aforementioned providers that feels like several fashionable app that makes use of information, whereas simply counting on the us protocol that doesn’t value customers something.

Constructing UTP is simply the primary piece of the puzzle. To make it simple for folks to make use of Complete, Hike has preloaded the service onto cheap telephones by Intex and Karbonn, so it hundreds up as quickly as you end organising your Android gadget for the primary time. You’ll be capable to signal into Complete with simply your cellphone quantity, and also you’ll additionally get Rs. 200 ($three) in your Hike Pockets to make use of for issues like buying cell information plans or sending cash to mates, when you’ve accomplished the KYC course of.

As well as, Hike has partnered with main native carriers Airtel, Aircel, and BSNL to make low-cost information packs obtainable by way of Complete, with costs beginning at Re. 1 ($zero.02) for 20MB at 4G speeds. Whereas utilizing Complete, sure capabilities – similar to viewing media-rich information with images, or sending photos – will immediate customers to purchase information.

It’s a intelligent onboarding scheme with an entire lot of sensible proprietary tech behind it. Hike says that the primary 4 telephones preloaded with Complete will grow to be obtainable throughout India in March. It’ll be fascinating to see how this helps Hike develop past its present consumer base (which appears to have stagnated since January 2016), and if it may actually assist extra folks in India get on-line extra simply.