Chinese phone maker ups bid for customers

Corporate News

 

ZTE Corporation senior officials during the of launch of smartphones in Nairobi on Tuesday. Photo/Salaton Njau 

By OKUTTAH MARK

Chinese technology multinational ZTE has launched five smartphone models and set out to sign local distributors in a bid to win market share from rivals Nokia, Samsung and LG.

The firm has previously been selling handsets in Kenya through partnerships with mobile phone firms such as Telkom Kenya and Airtel, which, however, also stock rivals’ handsets.

Among the five models launched on Tuesday are entry level V795 and ZTE Open 11 mini smartphones. The ZTE Open 11 runs on Firefox operating system.

The phones will be retailing at between Sh4,500 and Sh5,160.  The other three are mid-tier smartphones — the Blade LZ, KIS 3 and Lubia Z5S  retailing at up to Sh25,800.

ZTE is betting on its low-pricing and after-sales services to take on its rivals.

Mark Jin, the firm’s sales director for Kenya and Somalia, said ZTE’s focus on the smartphones market is motivated by the number of people accessing data through their handsets.

“We are looking at the opportunities created by the expansion of internet infrastructure such as the 3G and the envisaged 4G. Already we are seeing a shift where users prefer smartphones and tablets compared to personal computers (PCs). This is the market we are after and would not like to be left out,” Mr Jin said Tuesday during the launch.

Latest statistics from the telecoms industry regulator, the Communication Authority of Kenya CAK, indicate that the number of mobile users rose to 13.1 million users in the three months to December up from 11.9 million in the previous quarter.

During the period mobile data maintained the largest share of 99 per cent of total internet subscriptions, which CAK said could be as a result of factors such as the development of 3G network and social networking.

Firms such as Huawei, Techno and Nokia are racing for control of the mid-market segment served by entry level smart phones that retail at between Sh8,000 and Sh30,000. 

Phones like the iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S5, Sonny Ericsson’s Xperia and Blackberry Storm (2) retail at between Sh79,999 and Sh54,000 and are considered high-end.