At Mobile World Congress, Orange partnered with KaiOS Technologies and UNISOC to launch a phone with voice recognition for $20 in 16 countries in Africa and the Middle-East.
The countries where it will be available are Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Jordan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone and Tunisia.
Sanza has the simplicity of a feature phone powered by the Unisoc SC7731EF chipset platform with battery life of up to five days, 3G+, torch, WiFi and Bluetooth, combined with advanced smartphone-like functionalities.
Thanks to Google Assistant, Sanza will help overcome language and literacy challenges, as our customers can access information and applications on the device with their voice, and without having to type. The Google Assistant understands multiple French and English accents, with more languages to come later this year. The phone menu is available in Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese, English and French.
The new phone will also give access to applications such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps, as well as Orange Money, the flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer and My Orange, an application to monitor mobile consumption, among other things.
Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, comments:”Sanza is a concrete proof of the capacity of Orange to be a key player of digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle-East. With its access to internet with the voice and its attractive price around $20, I have the conviction that this 3G phone and soon 4G, is a powerful lever to develop the access to internet for all in Africa.”
Gérard Lokossou, CEO of Orange Democratic Republic of Congo, adds: “The smartphone penetration rate in DRC is quite low, 30% versus the average of 50% for the continent. The established mobile payment services via Orange Money, the launch of 4G+ in 2018 and our engagement to extend 3G coverage to the whole country are all contributing to boost the smartphone penetration rate in DRC.
“The next commercialisation of the Sanza phone at an affordable price demonstrates our strategy for the democratisation of Internet access in the country.”
Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies, says: “Our mission is to help close the digital divide by bringing mobile connectivity to the billions of people without internet in emerging markets, as well as providing those in established markets with an alternative to smartphones. The Sanza by Orange marks an important milestone in fulfilling this mission, as its bound to be successful in Africa with its attractive price point, great features, and the strong presence of Orange in the region.”