KENYA: Nokia unveils two cheap phones for emerging markets

Record ID: 361393

  • Title: KENYA: Nokia unveils two cheap phones for emerging markets
  • Date: 26th August 2011
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 24, 2011) (REUTERS) NOKIA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR MOBILE PHONES, MARY MCDOWELL DURING A PRESENTATION MCDOWELL SHOWING THE LATEST NOKIA 101 MOBILE HANDSET (UPSOUND) (English) NOKIA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR MOBILE PHONES, MARY MCDOWELL SAYING: "This is our fifth dual SIM phone in about three months and it's the most affordable dual-SIM an
  • Embargoed: 10th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya, Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Business,Communications,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAA4753T9SN16VWZDNAXYWOOM9U
  • Story Text: Nokia has unveiled two cheap cellphone models inspired by consumer needs in Africa, aiming to strengthen its position against low-cost Asian rivals.
    Nokia shares have roughly halved this year as the company struggled to keep up with the pace of smartphone development while also losing ground at the cheaper end of the market to Asian brands such as ZTE and G'Five.
    The Nokia 101, which comes with slots for two different SIM cards, will be available this quarter for about 25 euros (35.22 US dollars), excluding taxes and subsidies, while the Nokia 100 will be available next quarter for about 20 euros.
    Apart from the dual-SIM advantage, the 101 also comes with an MP3 player and up to 16GB expandable memory and FM radio.
    Nokia's first dual-SIM model reached the market only last quarter, enabling smaller rivals to benefit from growing demand for such models which are increasingly popular in countries such as India, the world's second-biggest and fastest-growing market for mobile phones.
    Executives at the firm told a media launch in the Kenyan capital that Africa, with its 1 billion people who are mostly young, is a key strategic area.
    "We are very focused on emerging markets and our overarching strategy is this focus on the next billion consumers, so clearly Africa plays a huge role in that strategy," Mary McDowell, executive vice president for mobile phones, told Reuters.
    "Huge population, very low mobile penetration, even lower data penetration, very youthful population that is very aware of technology... all of our data says consumers here are quite savvy and so the limitation is not their aspirations its their pocket book," she added.
    McDowell said Nokia's cheap models would help it sidestep any risks from economic problems, as consumers increasingly rely on their mobile phones to grow their businesses.
    "Affordable devices actually puts us in a good position in a time of economic difficulty but I think more importantly for the consumer, the mobile is not just an optional accessory its really how they are living their life, its how the taxi driver gets his business, its how a small business person places orders so its really a lifeline that allows them to prosper economically," McDowell said.
    The latest models mark the fifth dual-SIM models for Nokia in the last three months and were inspired by the needs of consumers in countries such as Kenya, where mobile phone penetration is more than 50 percent.
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