The launch of the first Lumia smartphone that runs on the Windows platform into the East African market is expected to trigger smartphone competition in the region.
Nokia hopes that the Lumia 510 can lead to high usage of Windows products in Kenya, especially Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.
“There has been so much excitement globally about our Lumia smartphones and it is great to now be able to bring them to the East African market, starting today with the Nokia Lumia 510. This builds on our commitment to bring Lumia to lower price points and welcome more consumers to the Windows Phone experience,” Bruce Howe, General Manager for Nokia East Africa, said.
The company is also banking on the increased usage of social media in the country with Twitter and Facebook having seen increased numbers. The Nokia Asha regime that maximised on the use of social media among the youth could also have led to the release.
The Lumia phone also hopes to lure local developers into creating apps that can be used locally with Kenyan developers continually gaining recognition in the international scene.
In mid-November, during the launch of Windows 8 in Nairobi, local developers stole the show with a number of applications including Co-operative Bank’s m-banking application and VirtualCity’s ‘distributr’ software meant to enhance efficiency the supply chain.
The navigation features on the phone including Nokia maps, Nokia transport are also expected to be useful with the region heavily reliant on tourism.
The phone will retail for KSh16,900 in Kenya, TSh355,000 in Tanzania and USh600,000 in Uganda (approx $198).
