Sun King, the off-grid solar pay-as-you-go company is set to venture into the smartphone business, in a bold move to expand its portfolio beyond solar home systems.
The company, known for revolutionizing energy access across Africa through its pay-as-you-go solar products, plans to launch its own line of smartphones—offered through the same financing model that helped it dominate the solar space.
According to sources close to the company, the new smartphones will be tailored for African markets, especially rural and peri-urban areas where affordability and access remain major barriers to smartphone penetration. The phones will be available via Sun King’s vast last-mile distribution network and sold using flexible payment plans, enabling customers to pay in small daily or weekly installments using mobile money.
“This move isn’t just about selling phones. It’s about digital inclusion,” a Sun King insider told TechMoran. “We’re bringing the power of the internet, apps, education, and financial tools right into people’s hands.”
Optimized for the Realities of Off-Grid Living
Sun King’s smartphones will reportedly be optimized for long battery life, with versions expected to ship with energy-efficient features and pre-installed offline content such as agricultural tutorials, healthcare information, and financial literacy guides. This approach reflects the company’s deep understanding of its core audience—customers who often live in areas with unstable power supply and limited access to mobile data.
The devices are also expected to come with Sun King Pay, an embedded app that allows users to track their loan repayment schedules, earn loyalty rewards, and access other value-added services from Sun King’s ecosystem.
Why This Matters
Africa remains one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world, but smartphone penetration still lags behind, especially in rural communities where the upfront cost of a device is prohibitive. While smartphone adoption is rising, millions remain digitally disconnected—not because of lack of interest, but because of affordability.
Sun King’s entry into the smartphone market could change that. With over 100 million people already benefiting from its solar solutions, including Sun King solar TV sets, the company has the infrastructure, trust, and reach to scale its smartphone project rapidly.
A Natural Evolution for Sun King?
Industry experts say the move makes strategic sense.
“Sun King is already in people’s homes, providing light and energy,” said a Nairobi-based fintech analyst. “The next logical step is to provide digital tools that unlock access to education, banking, and commerce. A smartphone is the gateway to all that.”
Sun King will join a growing number of African tech players offering asset-financed smartphones, such as Safaricom with Lipa Mdogo Mdogo and M-KOPA with its smartphone financing plans. However, Sun King’s edge lies in its deep rural footprint and experience in scaling hardware-as-a-service models.
What’s Next?
Though an official launch date has not been confirmed, insiders suggest a mid-2025 rollout, starting in Kenya and expanding to Nigeria, Uganda, and other key markets shortly after. The company is also rumored to be in talks with OEM partners in Asia for manufacturing, while software localization will be handled regionally.
Sun King’s smartphone strategy aligns with the broader trend of energy-tech companies diversifying into fintech and consumer tech, leveraging their reach and trust to offer more than just power.
As Sun King lights up homes, it may soon also light up screens—offering not just power to see, but power to connect.
In May 2023, the firm secured a scalable loan instrument, arranged and structured by Citi with participation from leading development finance institutions and commercial lenders, helps expand Kenyans’ access to finance to purchase green, affordable solar systems.
The Kenyan-Shilling-denominated $130 million sustainable securitisation transaction was to help Sun King expand locally and allow for more customers to buy solar products on credit as approximately three out of every ten Kenyans live without access to electricity. Many off-grid households devote 5 to 10% of their income to dim, smoky kerosene lanterns or smog-emitting gas generators for light and power. Solar energy offers clean and reliable energy as well as long-term cost savings for homes and businesses, but the upfront equipment cost blocks many Kenyan consumers from transitioning to solar energy.
Sun King designs, distributes, installs and finances solar energy solutions for African and Asian households and businesses who cannot access, rely on or afford traditional electric grid connections. Sun King customers can purchase products using the company’s technology-enabled, pay-as-you-go “Easy Buy” financing service, which breaks payments down into regular, affordable instalments. These payments can be made via mobile money or cash for as little as $0.15 a day. Approximately half of Sun King’s registered pay-as-you-go customers in Kenya are women, the majority of whom access formal financing products for the first time.
Under the securitisation structure, investors are financing the pooled expected future payments from over a million Sun King customers. The structure connects unbanked or underbanked customers to the finance they require to purchase solar assets and provides investors with access to a steady yet underserved market that offers risk-diversified returns.
“Over one billion people live off the reliable electric grid. This number is projected to rise. This securitisation could be key to unlocking the extensive capital needed to fund solar energy initiatives at the scale the climate crisis requires. We applaud Citi for orchestrating this innovative transaction. These trailblazing financial mechanisms can convert the global challenges of energy access, social development and climate action into compelling investment opportunities.” Commented Sun King’s Co-Founder, Anish Thakkar.
Sun King is raising the securitisation funds using its Sustainable Financing Framework, which has received a Second Party Opinion (SPO) from Moody’s Investor Relations. The SPO assesses the framework with a Very Good Sustainable Quality Score (SQS) and highlights its significant contribution to sustainability.
The framework, facilitated by Citi, involved participations by both commercial and development finance institutions, including ABSA Kenya, British International Investment, Citi, FMO, Norfund, Standard Bank Kenya and the Trade and Development Bank.
In October last year, Sun King launched PowerPlay Pro, a solar power station capable of powering everything from phones and televisions to laptops, freezers, and light business equipment promising users its cheaper than running a generator.
In February this year, Sun King launched the HomePlus and HomePlus Pro, its third-generation solar home systems designed for off-grid and budget-conscious households and businesses, these systems offer multi-room lighting and phone charging. The new range delivers more power, brighter lighting, and faster phone charging than Sun King’s popular legacy models, the Home 40 Plus and Home 200X, while maintaining the same affordable price point.
Reading This Now 85
James Musoba
Read More