Africa’s leading mobile network operators are planning to introduce a $40 smartphone in six African markets as part of a new initiative aimed at closing the continent’s digital access gap and bringing millions of people online.
The plan was announced at a press conference during the African Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
The event also marked the first time African mobile operators had dedicated exhibition space on the MWC show floor.
The initiative is being led by the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, a group that includes major telecom operators Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, Orange, Vodacom Group and MTN Group. Together, the companies serve roughly 800 million people across Africa.
Industry leaders say the program could significantly accelerate smartphone adoption across some of the continent’s fastest growing telecommunications markets.
According to the coalition, one of the biggest barriers to digital inclusion in Africa remains the cost of smartphones, which prevents millions of people from accessing online services.
Angela Wamola, head of Africa at GSMA, said lowering the price of smartphones is critical to closing the continent’s digital usage gap.
“One of the biggest barriers and challenges for Africa is around the affordability of devices,” Wamola said.
“This affects the willingness of people to go online, and closing that gap requires making devices available at an affordable price while meeting minimum 4G specifications.”
Under the initiative, six countries will serve as pilot markets for the device. They include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
Negotiations with distributors in those countries suggest the smartphones could reach consumers at a retail price of about $40.Wamola said several other countries have also expressed interest in participating in the program following discussions at the conference.
The coalition has already shared minimum technical specifications with device manufacturers, including requirements for storage capacity, screen size and battery performance.
According to GSMA, early feedback from manufacturers has been positive, raising expectations that the low cost devices could soon be introduced into African markets.