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MTN ESWATINI TO SELL ‘SMARTPHONES’ FOR E250

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MBABANE – EmaSwati will soon find no reason not to own a Smart phone, well…sort of.


MTN Group has announced that it has partnered with other telecommunications companies to bring ‘smart feature phones’ to Africa that will cost as little as US$20 (about E250 when calculated at the latest exchange rate).


MTN said it was working with China Mobile Communications Group, Unisoc and KaiOS Technologies to attempt to bridge the gap between basic ‘dumb’ phones and smartphones, which are often too expensive for consumers in Africa.


The idea is to use the cheap 3G devices to get more people consuming data instead of using their phones for voice calls and sending SMSes only.
“The new product will allow customers to upgrade from a feature phone with only voice and text capabilities, to a fully-connected handset with fast 3G Internet. Because of the competitive pricing of the device, access to advanced digital services is finally a reality for everyone,” MTN said.
The phone has two basic cameras, dual-Sim support and a long battery life, thanks to a 2 000mAh battery.


It is powered by the Unisoc SC7731EF processor, has 2.4-inch screen, 256MB RAM and 512MB of storage. It will be available starting from the first quarter of 2019. It reportedly offers Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity and includes the Google Assistant and other smart services. WhatsApp, however, is not yet supported (though reports suggest it’s in development).


MTN Eswatini Corporate Communications Manager Mandla Luphondvo said while the entry-level smartphones were expected to hit MTN’s bigger markets – South Africa and Nigeria – first, ‘locally we may expect to have access to these gadgets on the second quarter of 2019, which starts from April’.
Luphondvo said there was a whole lot of bunching up fingers, systemic investment and exploration of different options that needed to be done before these Smartphones can be available locally.


“And, our valued customers will be appraised with each key milestone towards the launch of these ‘readily accessible’ smartphones, including how much they will cost,” he said.
He said the issue of smartphone penetration in the local market and elsewhere was key for MTN.

MTN’s key targets
He stated that when MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter was in the Kingdom of Eswatini on September 1, 2017,  he eloquently communicated some of the key targets that MTN had set for itself when it comes to smartphone penetration in the market, which is one of the company’s strategic moves.


“Smartphone penetration is important at this point on so many levels. Firstly, it comes with opportunities for customers who were previously using a feature phone, which have basic features, and prevented from owning smartphones because of prohibitive prices,” Luphondvo said. He continued: “Secondly, it comes with opportunities to fully utilise our modernised network and improved customer experience.

Thirdly, as explained by our Group CEO, there are opportunities for development, and extensive use of more Applications (Apps), something that makes perfect sense for the Kingdom of Eswatini as we aspire to get to First World status.”

competition on App
He said in line with the third aspiration, MTN Eswatini was currently running a competition on App development, with 15 developers already shortlisted for the grand prize of E30 000.
The grand prize has been increased from an initial E25 000 when the competition was rolled out last year.
“MTN Eswatini is intentionally pushing innovation even from the corporate social investment front. Through MTN Foundation, an innovation challenge was thrown at tertiary students last year and implemented in partnership with Enactus. And, the feedback was nothing short of impressive,” Luphondvo said.
He said within MTN staff, there were initiatives, as well to drive innovation, both in the areas of process or service improvements, as well as in coming up with fresh initiatives that could improve customer experience and diversify revenue streams. He stated that the development of Apps comes with opportunities to improve quality of life, and also accrue revenue for the person who has developed the App.
Meanwhile, regarding the entry-level Smartphones, MTN Group said the KaiOS is the same operating system that powers Nokia’s ‘banana phone’, the 4G-capable 8110. It already runs on almost 50 million smart feature phones globally and has overtaken iOS as the second most popular mobile operating system in India (based on data usage).
It supports Facebook, YouTube, music-streaming services, Twitter and Google Maps. MTN - Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator - is aiming to sell about 10 million of the devices over the next three years. While the phones would not be made in Africa, their introduction would give local developers an opportunity to create apps, Shuter said.
On this note, Luphondvo said the local App Challenge was meant to stimulate innovation, which is one of the key drivers in the telecommunications industry, and economic development.
This year’s theme is ‘Digital innovation, a tool for youth empowerment’.
From the 87 entries, the competition judges have already come up with the top 15 Apps that are expected to compete during the first week of December.

bring ideas to life
Contestants have got their hands on the button now, and have up to the end of November to bring their ideas to life.
Speaking during a briefing session with the top 15 developers, MTN Digital and Value-Added Services Alex Lushaba thanked local developers for showing growing interest in the contest.
“This platform is increasingly becoming a catalyst for App developers who create solutions that simplify life and business. Further, this challenge makes it possible for young people to launch and grow sustainable businesses that will provide solutions for customers, contribute to economic growth, and create much-needed employment opportunities,” he said.

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