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What happens when a $70 phone meets smart financing and trust tech
Interested in being a guest? Email us at [email protected]
A billion smartphones ship every year, yet billions of people still can’t get online. The barrier isn’t coverage—or even a $70 device—it’s trust, credit, and the lack of banking rails in places where daily income leaves no room for upfront purchases. We sit down with Trustonic CEO Dion Price to unpack a counterintuitive solution: secure device locking that makes micro‑installments viable, protects lenders, and teaches first-time buyers how financing works without requiring bank accounts, addresses, or formal credit histories.
Dion explains how the tech lives natively inside devices—think Samsung KnoxGuard, MotoSafe, and Android capabilities—so retailers and carriers don’t need special hardware variants or clunky apps. A financed phone boots with a simple, transparent policy: keep up with small payments via mobile money or in-store and the phone stays fully usable; fall behind and you’ll see clear prompts with instant pathways to pay and unlock. That light-touch control is enough to flip risk models, inviting capital into markets it has long avoided. The payoff is human: students walking hours from schools can stream lessons, parents triage illness with reliable health guidance, and young creators publish videos that change their trajectories.
We also trace the ripple effects. A fully paid phone becomes a live credit proxy—proof of reliability that can unlock access to solar home systems, small business tools, or even future financial products. In mature markets, the same stack improves collections and makes stolen devices worthless to resellers, reducing street and supply‑chain theft. It’s one infrastructure layer serving two missions: digital inclusion at the frontier and resilience in cities where device crime is rampant.
If you’re curious about how carriers, OEMs, and financiers can align to connect the next billion—and how a “lock” can unlock opportunity—this conversation will shift your view of affordability, credit, and scale. Listen now, share with a friend who cares about access and fintech, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel
View all episodes
By Evan KirstelInterested in being a guest? Email us at [email protected]
A billion smartphones ship every year, yet billions of people still can’t get online. The barrier isn’t coverage—or even a $70 device—it’s trust, credit, and the lack of banking rails in places where daily income leaves no room for upfront purchases. We sit down with Trustonic CEO Dion Price to unpack a counterintuitive solution: secure device locking that makes micro‑installments viable, protects lenders, and teaches first-time buyers how financing works without requiring bank accounts, addresses, or formal credit histories.
Dion explains how the tech lives natively inside devices—think Samsung KnoxGuard, MotoSafe, and Android capabilities—so retailers and carriers don’t need special hardware variants or clunky apps. A financed phone boots with a simple, transparent policy: keep up with small payments via mobile money or in-store and the phone stays fully usable; fall behind and you’ll see clear prompts with instant pathways to pay and unlock. That light-touch control is enough to flip risk models, inviting capital into markets it has long avoided. The payoff is human: students walking hours from schools can stream lessons, parents triage illness with reliable health guidance, and young creators publish videos that change their trajectories.
We also trace the ripple effects. A fully paid phone becomes a live credit proxy—proof of reliability that can unlock access to solar home systems, small business tools, or even future financial products. In mature markets, the same stack improves collections and makes stolen devices worthless to resellers, reducing street and supply‑chain theft. It’s one infrastructure layer serving two missions: digital inclusion at the frontier and resilience in cities where device crime is rampant.
If you’re curious about how carriers, OEMs, and financiers can align to connect the next billion—and how a “lock” can unlock opportunity—this conversation will shift your view of affordability, credit, and scale. Listen now, share with a friend who cares about access and fintech, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel