Chinese telecommunications firm, ZTE Corporation, on Tuesday
signed an agreement with Kenya's leading mobile service provider,
Safaricom, to supply high quality, ultra-low cost mobile handsets
in the country.
Under the agreement, ZTE, a leading global provider of
telecommunications equipment and network solutions, will brand the
handsets with Safaricom name.
The handsets will retail at 1,999 shillings (about 30 U.S.
dollars) for a phone with a black and white screen and 2,499
shillings (45 dollars) for a phone with a full color screen.
"By signing this agreement today, we look forward to offering
our customers with durable, affordable handsets that will enable
them to send text messages or make calls effectively," Safaricom's
Chief Executive Michael Joseph said in Nairobi.
"I am proud to announce these quality handsets have been
manufactured specially for Safaricom. We look forward to continuing
with our efforts to provide quality communication to all our
subscribers both in the rural and urban markets."
Initially Safaricom, which is one of the most profitable
companies in Africa, will launch 200,000 units in the local market
with more units to be produced depending on demand.
"These handsets are ultra-low cost for several reasons. Firstly
whilst they are robust and high-quality, they do not come with some
of the more complex features now regularly associated with mobile
phones in developed countries," Xu Chengrong, ZTE's managing
director said.
ZTE said its product range is the most complete in the world --
covering virtually every sector of the wire-line, wireless, and
handset markets.
With its headquarters in China, the company is one of the
fastest growing telecoms equipment companies in the world and is
China's only listed telecoms manufacturer, with shares publicly
traded on both Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)
