Safaricom, Kenya's leading telecommunications company, has announced that its Kenya-made smartphones will be sold at a 30% lower price compared to imported phones. The company aims to make smartphones more affordable for customers and has a production capacity of three million devices per year. The locally assembled phones will also be exported to East African member states [c80ff0cc].
Safaricom's cheap smartphone is estimated to retail for around KSh 4,200, which is 30% less than the minimum market price of KSh 6,000 for imported smartphones. This initiative is part of the Lipa Mdogo Mdogo program, which aims to provide affordable smartphones to Kenyan consumers [c80ff0cc].
This move by Safaricom to lower the prices of Kenya-made smartphones aligns with the company's goal of making technology more accessible to a wider population. By offering affordable smartphones, Safaricom aims to bridge the digital divide and enable more Kenyans to access the benefits of mobile technology [c80ff0cc].
The availability of affordable smartphones is crucial in a country where smartphone penetration is still relatively low. By reducing the cost of smartphones, Safaricom hopes to increase smartphone adoption and enable more people to access digital services such as mobile banking, e-commerce, and online education [c80ff0cc].