Romeo Kumalo, chief officer of international business at Vodacom says that, while Vodacom is driving its $50 smartphone in its international markets, a $25 smartphone will truly change the landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would see a massive take-up of data,\u201d he noted, adding that most people in Africa would experience the Internet for the first time on their mobile.<\/p>\n
Vodacom introduced its Android-based Smart Kicka smartphone in August 2014. At a price point of R549, the device aimed to compete against rival operator MTN\u2019s low-cost smartphone offering \u2013 the MTN Steppa \u2013 which launched in January at R499.<\/p>\n
Both devices form part of the operators\u2019 respective strategies to target the lower-end markets which still favour low-cost feature phones over smarter devices, which are often priced in the thousands of rands.<\/p>\n
According to Vodacom\u2019s chief commercial officer Phil Patel, the group\u2019s big strategy and aspiration is to be Africa\u2019s largest Internet provider, targeting 50 million Internet users over the next couple of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment only 27% of people living in South Africa\u2019s emerging markets have access to smart devices. We aim to double that number in the next year,\u201d Patel said at the Kicka\u2019s launch in August.<\/p>\n
However, Kumalo believes that there is still room for an even more affordable device in African markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still think that $50 in some markets is unaffordable. I don\u2019t think the $25 phone is far away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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