India, Sept. 2 -- itel has partnered with PhonePe to extend digital payment services to feature phone users in India. Under the partnership, PhonePe UPI 123Pay will be pre-installed on selected itel feature phones, enabling users to make UPI payments without a smartphone or an internet connection.

The initiative is targeted at consumers in rural and semi-urban markets, where smartphone ownership and reliable internet connectivity can still be limited. By extending UPI functionality to feature phones, the companies aim to widen access to digital payments among users who remain outside the smartphone-based payments ecosystem.

Through PhonePe UPI 123Pay, users of compatible itel feature phones will be able to make peer-to-peer (P2P) money ...