As announced at the 2018 AfricaCom event in Cape Town, South Africa, MTN has launched an N8000 ($22) budget smartphone in Nigeria. It is called the MTN Smart T.
According to Rahul De, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of MTN Nigeria, the device was designed to make smartphones affordable in the country and reach more people with Internet services.
The MTN Smart T which runs on KaiOS operating system, has the following features:
- 2.4″ screen,
- 256MB/512MB RAM/ROM,
- Powered by UNISOC SC7731EF
- Fast internet access through Wi-Fi and 3G
- Bluetooth connectivity and GPS for navigation
- The Google Assistant and other smart services
- The KaiStore, home to the world’s most popular apps and localized content
- 2 cameras, as well as music and video streaming services
- Long battery life 2000mah
- Dual SIM support
Rahul De said that MTN has set a standard as an OEM manufacturer and expects that others might follow
“This is a way to bridge the gap in smartphone penetration by making the devices affordable. This is a very innovative product and we don’t mind if this category of feature phones opens up but we don’t want to propagate the grey market. If eligible companies start making smart feature phones, we wish them good luck.”
MTN partnered with China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., chipset maker UNISOC and KaiOS technology to launch the smart feature 3G device.
The Chief Marketing Officer said that though the handset is not currently manufactured in Nigeria, this could change if volumes pick up.
This is the cheapest budget smartphone the telecoms company has come up with to date. Its last effort was the $50 MTN Steppa launched in 2014.
