Orange has launched Orange Klif digital phone worth US$40 (€35)plus a data, voice and text bundle to address a new market segment that finds access to mobile internet unaffordable.
Set to be available in Q2, the Orange Klif will be available in Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar, Mali, The Ivory Coast, Jordan, Niger, Kenya, Mauritius and Vanuatu.
Orange has worked with ALCATEL ONETOUCH to introduce the Firefox OS phone, the Orange Klif which is a dual SIM, with up to 21 Mbps internet speeds, 2MP camera and micro-SD slot and runs on Firefox OS powered by a MediaTek processor. Firefox OS promises to add NFC payments infrastructure soon and this will help power payments and ecommerce in Africa.
“Although the smartphone revolution is well under way across the African continent, there remains a proportion of the population that so far has been underserved, not just because of the cost of handsets, but because of concerns about data costs. By scooping up all the costs into one, incredibly priced digital offer, we hope that critical access to the mobile internet and all the opportunities that that opens up, will be within reach of many more people,” commented Yves Maitre, Executive Vice President of Connected Objects and Partnerships, Orange.
The 3.5” HVGA screen Orange Klif has a 1300mAh battery offering 810 hours of standby and users will have access to Orange services such as Star Africa, the entertainment portal, Orange Football Club as well as partner services like Dailymotion, the video sharing service. Popular sports portal, Ndamli, in Senegal and Anghami, a music catalogue service providing access to millions of Arabic and international songs will be readily available as well as Firefox Marketplace, providing access to thousands of apps.