Vodafone have just announced that in the next few weeks they will launch the Vodafone 150, a handset that they reckon is the cheapest on earth today as it will go on sale unsubsidized for less than $15.
They will also launch the Vodafone 250 which will retail at under $20.
The mobile phone company is targeting developing markets where access to a low cost mobile phone could transform the lives of people who might not otherwise be able to own a phone and where the demand for such a device is high.
Basically a low cost mobile such as the Vodafone 150 will enable “millions of people in emerging markets the opportunity to share in the benefits of mobile technology for the first time” says Vodafone.
Both the Vodafone 150 and the Vodafone 250 are pretty basic phones in comparison to what is available today but they do what’s needed. They will enable the user to make and receive calls, use SMS, and as the phones have built in support for mobile payments the user can transfer cash too.
The main difference between the two phones apart from a few dollars in price is that the Vodafone 250 will have a colour screen that is slightly larger than the one on the Vodafone 150 and it will also feature FM radio.
Increasingly, people are using their mobiles to access information and to transfer money. More than 11 million of Vodafone’s own customers use their mobiles for money transfers and for paying bills.
The only thing that prevents people in emerging markets from doing the same is lack of access to an affordable phone.
“The cost of mobile handsets can be one of the most significant barriers for people in accessing and benefiting from the growing number of socially valuable mobile services” says Vodafone.
“The lives of people who use these phones – the Vodafone 150 and Vodafone 250 – will be changed and improved as they become part of the mobile society” said Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Director of Terminals.
“I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do in this critical area of customer empowerment” he said.
Initially the phones are going to be available in India and 6 markets in Africa which include, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Qatar, South Africa and Tanzania.
