The cost of third generation (3G) network-enabled smartphones remains a major deterrent to mobile data penetration in Kenya, according to the country’s largest operator Safaricom.
The Star reports Safaricom said it has made a strategic decision to partner with smartphone manufacturers in a “win-win” bid to make data more affordable.
Jannet Atika, head of retail sales at Safaricom, said: “The future of our industry is in mobile data. With the deployment of 3G network and the ongoing testing of 4G, there is big room to put cheaper smartphones out there.”
She said smartphones account for an average of 67 per cent of the total sales through Safaricom shops.
