By Mark Davison in San Francisco – Obi Worldphone, which last night launched a family of smartphones specifically targeted at the youth sector in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, will officially establish its presence in South Africa in November.
Sources close to the company say that while it has already appointed Midrand-based Sahara as its first distributor in South Africa, plans for an official launch in the country are well underway. Joint CEO of Obi Worldphone and former Apple and Pepsi CEO, John Sculley is expected to travel to South Africa to make the announcement.
It is believed that talks between Obi Worldphone and certain major telecoms operators with a view to future co-operation are at an advanced stage. Sculley is expected to officially announce the results of these negotiations at the official launch.
Firmly believing that a number of more established smartphone vendors have lost their way in the market, Obi Worldphone has already appointed 20 distributors in a number of countries recognised as among the fastest-growing emerging markets in the world.
These countries range from Latin America through to Middle East territories such as the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Asian countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Thailand, and African regions including West Africa where Redington has been appointed a distributor, and East Africa which falls under the auspices of Despec.
