Handset manufacturer, Nokia is gearing up to cater to the latent demand from the rural segment as it foresees a strong business potential from the segment in years to come.

Company, Vice-President and Managing Director, D. Shivakumar, said India has about 249 million subscribers and 93 million rural subscribers. These represent 81 percent and 12 percent penetration in the respective markets as compared to the national average of 31 percent.

The company said that there is a vast scope to market handsets in the segment which is believed to have a population of 812 million.

It is also resorting to tying up with micro-finance institutes as a means to assist rural subscribers in purchasing handsets.

While currently the company has tied up with SKS Microfinance which has 653 branches across 15 states in the country, Nokia plans to rope in more tie-ups soon. It is also reaching out to rural subscribers through, showrooms on wheels’ and ‘Rural care on the go’.

Nokia is also enhancing its VAS for the rural segment as it will soon launch, Nokia Life Tools, which it describes as “a range of agriculture, education and entertainment services designed especially for the consumers in small towns and rural areas of the emerging markets.”

The Agriculture tools will offer information on seeds, fertilisers and market prices over mobile phones while the Education tools will teach, say, English language, help prepare for exams and offer career tips.

The Nokia Life Tools initiative has been pioneered in India and depending on its success the company will extend it to other parts of the world.