Nokia launches three dual SIM phones in Ghana

In line with its vision to always lead in new innovations in telecommunications devices and accessories, Nokia has officially launched three dual SIM handsets onto the Ghanaian market.

The X1-01, C2-00 and Nokia C2-03, were outdoored at a media launch in Accra today, July 18, 2011.

The Nokia X1-01 and C2-00, are presently on the Ghanaian market at very competitive prices of GH¢ 65 and GH¢ 110 respectively, while the third, the Nokia C2-03 is expected to be made available in the next few weeks, says Country Manager of Nokia in Ghana, Ludovic Falcou.

The new handsets come with a lot of new exciting features such as loud music speaker for the X1-01, which can play for 36 hours continuously and designed with the youth in mind and an easy swap of SIM on the C2-00, which means a second SIM can be changed while the phone is still on.

According to Product Manager of  Nokia, West Africa, Olumide Balogun who took the media through the various specifications of the newly introduced phones, the Nokia C2-00 also has a five SIM card memory, which means the settings of five SIM cards are automatically stored on the phone and will thus automatically read whenever it is slotted into the phone, even after so many months.

An owner of the C2-00 model can also browse the internet and all social media with ease, especially with Nokia’s browser, the Ovi.

Other key features of both handsets are a different MP3 ringtone for each SIM, unique name and icon for each SIM, Micro SD caed support up to 16GB for the X1-01 and 32GB for the C2-00, large phone book with up to 500 entries, speaking alarm clock and super long battery life.

On the other hand, the Nokia C2-03 model, which is currently not in stock in Ghana but will be made available in few weeks according to Nokia, is a sleek touch screen slide cell phone with higher specs than the first two.

All phones come in about eight colours ranging from off white, silver, blue, red to black.

Explaining why Nokia has introduced all three phone models at the same time, Ludovic Falcou, during his welcome address, said “In terms of innovation, Nokia wants to always remain the leading brand.”

The country manager added that the phones have been introduced to enable patrons of their products save cost.

Taking turns to field questions from the media, Nokia West Africa staff led by Country Manager Ludovic Falcuo, Product Manager Olumide Balogun, Head of Marketing, Reuben Onwubiko and Head of Communications, Osagie Ogunbor, said it has taken Nokia this long to come up with dual SIM phones because they had to first undertake a market research to be certain what their customers wanted.

Asked whether it was not wrong timing to launch dual SIM phones in Ghana at a time when mobile number portability (MNP) had been introduced, they responded that their single SIM models were still very much in use and that the dual SIM models were to satisfy a section of their customers who need them.

“For every dual SIM that we have in our portfolio, we have probably six other SIM phones. So it’s not like Nokia has moved to just dual SIMs. We have plenty options of our single SIMs that people could still be using if number portability becomes the reality and also, something that the cost management of dual SIM no longer is a necessity – People have a choice,” Reuben Onwubiko stated.

“You will find that coming in late, that has been asked severally, is hinged on the fact that if you want to make a quality product, from a reputable organisation, we don’t just rush in and rush out; people have known Nokia as devices you could use for a long time,” he added.

The Nokia team also said they had decided to manufacture dual SIM phones contrary to their earlier stance in 2009 that they were not going to do so, because they realised there was a need for them and only hastened slowly to ensure they come up with leading innovations as has been done with the new phones.

By Edmund Smith-Asante