Next month, Microsoft is expected to officially launch the “PowerLine Initiative” aimed at providing “Windows Pre-Paid” services for select developing markets.
“PowerLine Initiative” – a proposal from Microsoft’s Product Business Group (PBG) – will officially release a subscription-based version of Windows in countries such as Vietnam, Brazil, India, Hungary, and Russia.
Microsoft is also developing PowerLine 1.0 to support the pre-paid Windows subscription model. PowerLine servers will be hosted at Microsoft.
In fact, this new service-oriented architecture from Microsoft is still under development and will be integrated into the pre-paid subscription system of Microsoft partners worldwide. For example, Microsoft plans to provide payment system modifiers to integrate into third-party payment systems as a flexible payment support method and to offer reporting services for partners.
One of Microsoft’s friendly partners noted that PowerLine is a reasonable solution to provide licensed Windows for developing markets where businesses cannot afford to build a complete licensed IT infrastructure.
Under the PowerLine model, fully licensed Windows versions will be provided to public personal computer (PC) systems targeting users who cannot own a personal PC.
This also serves as a solution for Microsoft to compete against a relatively similar service offered by Linux in developing markets.
Microsoft is currently exploring a range of different initiatives to bring Windows to new markets and emphasize the globalization potential for Windows Start Edition, PowerLine, Internet Café, alongside efforts to combat piracy such as Windows Genuine Advantage.
Hoàng Dũng
