MTN Nigeria has launched its first smartphone powered by Kai Operating System (KaiOS). The newly launched phone will help MTN dominate mobile phones in Africa and also provide rural communities with internet access.
Speaking at the launch at the MTN office in Lagos, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Rahul De described the development as the first African smart feature phone. According to him, the essence of developing the technology is to provide connectivity to a large number of people.
A research by the GSMA, shows that the $100-$200 price tag of a smartphone is preventing 64% of people in Africa from upgrading their phones to 3G/4G devices that can access the internet.
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“We want to bring connectivity to everybody. We believe that connectivity leads to growth in the nation’s economy. With connectivity, growth of the economy becomes faster. Affordability of smartphones has remained a challenge, hence, the reason for a smart phone with so many features selling at N8,000,” he said.
Rahul further stated that the smartphone has undergone rigorous testing to ensure that the phone meets customers demand in terms of quality. The phone is currently available nationwide at every MTN outlet across the country.
Features of the MTN Smart include dual SIM, front and back camera, a 2-day battery life with 2000mAh capacity, 2.4 inch screen, 256mb RAM and 512mb storage. The phone also supports a microSD card with up to 32GB storage space. Other features includes an App Store, google maps, facebook, whatsapp, and Youtube with six months free data.