The marketing director of Zimbabwean mobile phone brand GTEL has urged Zimbabweans to buy local products in order to stimulate the country’s economy.
Robert Gonye told the Broadband Forum, in Harare, today, that by buying locally produced mobile phones and smartphones, Zimbabweans could boost the economy and gain affordable internet access.
“We are all Zimbabweans at the end of the day, and it is up to us to own something that is our own product,” he said.
“Let’s all work together, create something which is ours. When we work together, we create jobs, we create growth.”
Gonye said Zimbabweans were adopting smartphones as quickly as elsewhere in Africa, but cost was currently a barrier.
He said, five years after Zimbabwe was characterised by hyperinflation and the burning of money, the country was now seeing an increase in smartphone uptake, which has grown by 85 per cent in the last two years.
He said GTEL were currently selling at least 25,000 units each month, priced at between US$49 and US$380.
He also confirmed telecom MTN were testing the company’s products in South Africa.
“People here also want to communicate, so if we can offer an affordable platform to people, we can see the development,” he said.
“We are more about relevance in the market. We don’t believe that we are doing business to be an icon, to be known as a brand. We want to create an idea.”
“Most of our smartphone users do not know the real meaning of broadband and terms like 2G, 3G and 4G, but internet speed is definitely important for them.”
