June 3, 2005

Nokia today presented a new low-cost handset product to tap into new growth markets. The company concurrently introduced its Nokia 1110 and Nokia 1600 handsets, scheduled to be available during the third quarter, aimed at first-time customers and growth markets such as Africa.

The suggested price for the phones is $80 for the 1110 model and $105 for the 1600 model.

The Nokia 1110 model has an inverted black-and-white display, which the company said is ideal for sunny conditions. The Nokia 1600 has a color display.

Both phones feature a new menu structure designed to make basic features easier to access, verbal clocks and large fonts. They also feature demonstration modes that instruct first-time users how to use the features of the phones.

Nokia also introduced its Prepaid Tracker, which allows prepaid users to monitor their account balances on their phone displays after calls. The feature is available on its new phone models as well as to operators.

"The number of new mobile users in fast-growing markets continues to rise dramatically, and nowhere is the rate of growth more evident than in Africa," said Juha Pinomaa, vice president of mobile phones at Nokia.

"By the end of this year, Nokia anticipates Africa will be home to 100 million subscribers and expects the African subscriber base to double to 200 million by 2009."

Motorola Inc. earlier this year announced plans to target emerging markets like India, Turkey and Pakistan with high-volume, low-cost handsets priced in the below-$40 range through an effort with the GSM Association.

Source: RCR News