Smartphones are set to get cheaper now.

#amazonindia and #flipkart dominate ecommerce business in India with 80% market share.

And they now have a formidable new competitor coming in. Guess who?

The Government of India.

Who is being advised by one of the smartest technology brains around.

This man was part of the team that built software company #infosys.

This man played a critical role in #aadhaar and the #upi interface.

Nandan Nilekani is advising the government to build an open technology network that seeks to level the playing field for small kirana stores.

Its called #ONDC - Open Network for Digital Commerce.

What does it do?

It provides a open platform for anybody (small, medium or large businesses) to go online by registering on the platform.

Basically a government flipkart.

Anybody can register. Kirana Stores. Travel, food delivery, mobility, etc.

Logistics & warehouse providers will provide transport and storage services.

Buyers will currently be able to pay via PayTM. Other payment providers will be added soon.

The first pilot has gone live across 5 cities on Friday - Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Coimbatore & Shillong.

Scale up to 100 cities over the next 6 months.

Who will benefit?

Millions of small business owners will be able to go online at low cost. Currently less than half a million businesses are online.

Consumers will have more choice & lower prices.

Such a project is being done for the first time anywhere in the world.

It will democratize ecommerce & level the playing field in ecommerce in India.

Exciting times are coming.

How much fees will sellers pay? Not clear.

How will the government platform match the awesome service levels of the private players

Comment below.

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