As part of plans to reposition itself in Africa’s Smartphone market, Chinese phone maker Tecno has partnered Qualcomm Incorporated and Etisalat to launch the Tecno P3 smartphone into the Nigerian market.
“Our desire is to flood the Nigerian and African mobile phone markets with Tecno smartphones.” Boukali Mounir is the Director, Brands and Marketing, Tecno Telecomssaid in an interview early this month.
Etisalat and Tecno had previously introduced a co-branded Dual SIM phone, the T341 alongside a 12-month free data bundle for a range of Tecno smartphones and internet phones which include the N7, Q1, P3, T756, T736 & T608.
Tecno’s partnership with Etisalat will allow consumers who buy the Tecno P3 get 100MB free data monthly for a period of twelve month. powered by Easyblaze on the Etisalat 3.75G network.
The Tecno P3 which comes with 3G internet access is an entry-level smartphone that runs on Android 2.3Gingerbread operating system, and powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7225A processor to offer users 3G smartphone experience, good battery life, and easy access to the Internet and multiple social networks.
Speaking on the partnership, Tecno Group Vice President, Arif Chowdhury, said, “We realised that Internet savvy Nigerians are in dire need of a fast, innovative and seamless Internet experience. These experiences are what Tecno P3 smartphone brings, and that also informs why we partnered with Etisalat.”
However, customers are left with the choice to choose either the Etisalat customised version available at Etisalat experience centres and its partner retailers, or buy the un-customised version from Tecno’s partner retailers nationwide, as it comes with the same data bundle offer as the customised version.
The Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Wael Ammar, said, “The telecommunications industry has seen an increased demand for data and smartphones in recent times, and it is important for network providers and phone manufacturers to continue to collaborate and initiate products and services to satisfy these needs.
“Etisalat’s most advanced 3.75G, HSPA+ Network and its easyblaze broadband service with speed up to 42 mbps combined with these Tecno phones is yet another example of our continuous effort to bring our customers easy, affordable and reliable access to the Internet.”
Also speaking at the event, the Director of Business Development for Qualcomm West Africa, Mr. Alex Dadson, said, “Our partnership with Tecno in manufacturing smartphones according to the Qualcomm Reference Design continues to offer the Nigerian market the best 3G smartphone experience.
“QRD is the only program of its kind that brings together the value of the mobile industry leader with specific products, features and programmes for emerging markets. Tecno’s P3 leverages the power of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor to give consumers an affordable smartphone that delivers a superior user experience.”
