Barcelona, <25 February 2019> – KaiOS Technologies, maker of KaiOS, the emerging mobile operating system for smart feature phones, announced the launch of KaiAds, the first advertisement software development kit (SDK) and supply-side platform (SSP) designed specifically for smart feature phones. This solution offers brands and advertisers entry into new regions via the more than 80 million KaiOS-powered devices that have been shipped to over 100 countries. This segment, expected to reach 150 million by the end of 2019, is comprised in large part by first-time internet users in emerging markets. 
 
“We are thrilled to start working with a fast-growing Mobile OS such as  KaiOS,” adds Gil Eckhaus, Director of Strategic  Partnership at Mars Media Group. “Mars Media Group has established itself as a global leader in digital advertising and having direct access to the  KaiO S platform will strengthen our added value to our advertisers.”  
 
The KaiAds SDK allows publishers to easily integrate advertising into their products, without having to worry about porting or optimizing an alternative mobile ads SDK for the lower technical specs of a KaiOS-powered smart feature phone. It passes ad requests directly to the KaiSSP service, which augments the requests and passes them on to the relevant ad partner through OpenRTB 2.X or purpose-built API integrations.   
 
“Bringing ads to our suite of KaiOS-powered devices furthers our mission to offer affordable, feature rich services to smart feature phone users around the world,” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies. “We believe our custom-built SDK and proxy approach to advertising will ensure a solid user experience, while making it easy for brands to offer compelling content to an entirely new customer segment. Based on our first test campaigns, we’ve noticed people are engaging with our ads at a high rate, with an above industry average CTR of more than 20 percent.”  
Further, the SDK has access to the underlying operating system and can therefore be optimized in a way that is not possible for other third-party SDKs. For example, KaiAds enables ads to display in 200ms or less – compared to several seconds using third-party solutions.   

“We are glad to partner with KaiAds and enrich our inventory on Avazu DSP, which always embraces new technology and ad solutions,” said Yufei Zhang, Avazu DSP Supply Side Manager. “We hope that with the cooperation between Avazu and KaiAds, we will help more global advertisers reach their target markets on all types of mobile devices by RTB technology.” 

“A core part of the Postr strategy is getting more users connected to the internet through sponsored data, so working with KaiOS is a great fit as we share this value,” says Postr CEO, Milan Reinartz. “Monetizing non-standard inventories, outside of standard browser or app environments, is not an easy task and we are honored to have been selected as an early demand partner. We are now looking forward to work with KaiOS as the inventories scale across the globe and showcasing the value of the inventory to major advertisers in key markets.”  
 
“KaiOS was the missing link for many global brands in emerging markets. The platform allows our advertisers to tap into a huge customer segment that was difficult to reach in the past,” said Stev Tam, Strategic Partnerships at Gadmobe Interactive. 

KaiOS is based on HTML5 and other open web technologies, has an optimized user interface for non-touch phones, and the platform supports 3G and 4G/LTE, as well as Wi-Fi, GPS, and NFC. It works with chipsets from all major manufacturers including Qualcomm, Unisoc, and MediaTek, and has established critical partnerships with major technology industry players like Google and Facebook. KaiOS offers a smooth user experience on devices with as low as 256MB of RAM and comes with apps and services such as Google Assistant, YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps, and Twitter. 
 
For enquiries about KaiAds, please contact Mathieu Boyer, Advertising Monetization Director, at mathieu.boyer@kaiostech.com or visit the KaiOS Technologies booth at MWC at Hall 5, booth #5G81.  

KaiOS Media Contact

Eletta Leung / Kara Gibson  
eletta.leung@kaiostech.com / kgibson@hoffman.com  (408) 975-3053 
 
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