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A rural Indian customer enjoying the benefits of solar-powered television
Photo: Simpa Networks

India sees launch of 1st solar TV service

Simpa Networks, a leader in providing affordable solar power to households and businesses in rural India, today announced the launch of Magic TV, the country’s first solar-powered Pay-as-you-Go (PAYG) satellite TV solution.

Simpa Magic TV includes 100+ free-to-air satellite TV channels, providing hours of entertainment, news, educational content and more. The system includes a 20” energy-efficient LED television, a powerful battery, advanced solar charge controller and three bright LED lights for multi-room lighting. The entire system is powered with an 80W panel, properly installed and mounted on the customer’s roof by a Simpa trained rural solar technician.

Purchased new, the home lighting and satellite TV system retails for INR 25,000 (USD 390). Ordinarily, such technology and benefits would be unaffordable for the energy-poor rural households that Simpa aims to serve. Simpa therefore offers point-of-sale financing options to the customer, allowing them to purchase the system over time on either 12, 24 or 36 month financing.

Simpa is pioneering the use of SmartPanel technology, which enables remote monitoring and control of the solar panel itself. Customers prepay for energy service, typically 30 days in advance. The SmartPanel delivers power every day until the prepaid credits expire. Then the customer must recharge or prepay for the next month’s service.

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“Once rural consumers have access to electricity and lighting, they look for other modern services, including access to daily appliances such as TVs, fans and refrigerators,” said Piyush Mathur, Simpa Network CEO. “Magic TV is breaking new ground in PAYG solar services in India, and we expect to grow our offering quickly.”

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