MICROSOFT announced this week that it has partnered with Chinese manufacturer Huawei to introduce an affordable smartphone specifically for Africa, along with skills development programmes in various countries.

The low-cost Microsoft handsets will be introduced in Angola, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria later this month, said Microsoft.

Mteto Nyathi, MD of Microsoft South Africa, said the devices are being tested by mobile operators and should be introduced to the market in about two months.

Infrastructure has been a huge obstacle to growing access to broadband across Africa, but Nyathi said Microsoft is looking at different technologies that will help spread connectivity capacity to the most remote areas.

“We want to provide high-speed broadband to rural areas using wide-space technology – something called super Wi-Fi. We already have this kind of technology and right now it is being piloted by Microsoft in Kenya,” said Nyathi.

In an area where rivals Apple and Android have dominated, Microsoft will also be looking to unearth locally relevant apps through its App Factory, which has been running in South Africa for about three months.

“App development in Africa has different requirements to what the mature market is accustomed to. In Africa, the mobile device is more powerful than any desktop was 10 years ago and in that lies the potential for the growth in apps,” said Clifford de Wit, lead developer at Microsoft SA.

“We’re aiming for 700 apps per annum, which is a high volume. We want to create apps that add value and provide real solutions. The apps that offer true services that affect people’s lives are the ones that will be easier to monetise because people won’t mind paying for it,” said De Wit.

He said the factory would also act as an incubator to encourage graduates to move through and start their own businesses.

According to the Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory 2012 study, compiled by Deloitte and the GSM Association, the number of mobile connections in sub-Saharan Africa grew by 44% between 2000 and 2012, compared to an average of 34% for developing regions as a whole and 10% for developed regions.

Another report, by London-based Informica Telecoms & Media, predicts that the number of mobile subscriptions in Africa will rise to about 1.13-billion by the end of 2017. The report said the mobile penetration rate in Africa at the end of September 2012 was about 67%, which was the lowest rate among major world regions and way below the world average of 91%.

http://www.wasconet.com/microsoft-to-launch-cheap-smartphones-in-africa/

ok we are waiting

Waiting patiently

Africa don suffer, africa dumping ground.