F IREFOX, A WEB browser made by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, was born as “Phoenix”. It rose from the ashes of Netscape Navigator, slain by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. In 2012 Mozilla created Firefox OS , to rival Apple’s i OS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems. Unable to compete with the duopoly, Mozilla killed the project.

Another phoenix has arisen from it. Kai OS , an operating system conjured from the defunct software, powered 30m devices in 2017 and another 50m in 2018. Most were simple flip-phones sold in the West for about $80 apiece, or even simpler ones which Indians and Indonesians can have for as little as $20 or $7, respectively. Smartphones start at about $100. The company behind the software, also called Kai OS and based in Hong Kong, designed it for smart-ish phones—with an old-fashioned number pad and long battery life, plus 4 G connectivity, popular apps such as Facebook and modern features like contactless payments, but not snazzy touchscreens.

Most such devices are found in India. Reliance Jio, a network that has upended the local mobile industry with heavily discounted 4 G data plans, sells subsidised, Jio-branded phones that use Kai OS software. A customer at a Jio store in Mumbai’s Bandra district wonders out loud why anyone would pay for a pricier Android smartphone when you can stream cricket and snap selfies on the cheaper JioPhone. Kai OS has signed deals with Orange and MTN , two big networks in Africa. It is eyeing Latin America and the Middle East.