PhonePe rolls out offline UPI service for over 200 million basic phones

PhonePe announced the launch of PhonePe UPI 123Pay, a solution that lets feature-phone owners perform UPI transfers without needing an internet connection. The service relies on a proprietary technology stack and SMS messaging to maintain reliability in areas with limited 2G coverage. It is pre-bundled on select handsets from manufacturers including Nokia, HMD, Lava International and itel.

Founder and CEO Sameer Nigam highlighted the goal of extending digital payment benefits to the next 300 million users across India. To help newcomers, PhonePe introduced a voice-first, AI-powered helpline that guides users in English and twelve regional languages. The platform currently supports peer-to-peer, peer-to-merchant, QR code payments, balance checks and transaction history, with plans to add bill payments, mobile top-ups and Aadhaar-based onboarding. PhonePe reported more than 71.5 crore registered users and a merchant network of over five crore partners as of July.