Uganda Has Largest Number of Fake Nokia Phones in East Africa

Uganda has the highest number of substandard mobile phone devices in East Africa, The Daily Monitor reported.

Analysts blamed the delayed enactment of the anti-counterfeit law by the county's parliament.

Kenneth Oyolla, Nokia general manager for East and Southern Africa, said 30 percent of all mobile phones sold in Uganda are counterfeits, compared with 10 percent in Kenya.

Nokia loses about USD 15 million monthly in the Kenyan market while the figures are higher in Uganda and Tanzania, he said.

The Kenyan government passed an anti-counterfeit law in June 2010 that provides for anyone caught selling counterfeits to pay three times the retail value of the device and up to five years in jail if implicated again.

Oyolla said the law has reduced trade in counterfeits in Kenya and should be replicated in all EAC countries as it is a common market.

Traders dealing in counterfeits can easily cross to other countries in the region where there is no deterrent law, he said. A genuine E71 costs USD 230 while the fake one goes for about USD 50.

Uganda's anti-counterfeit bill was not passed into law after the eighth Parliament closed before the bill's second reading.

Oyolla, who was speaking at the launch of the Nokia 101 and Nokia 100 mobile handsets in Nairobi, said the firm has partnered with retailers in the sale of genuine devices as one of the ways to reduce revenue loss.

Nigeria's Visafone In CDMA Phone Deal With Nokia

Nigerian CDMA operator Visafone Communications and Finnish mobile handset supplier Nokia have entered into an agreement to introduce dual-band mobile CDMA handsets for consumers through the operator's 3,000 dealer outlets nationwide, writes Nigeria Daily Independent. The duo say the aim of the partnership is to promote open market availability of CDMA devices with similar features and aesthetics to GSM handsets.

Ninan Thomas, Visafone's managing director, said that the aggressive growth in the subscriber base of CDMA operators has given mobile handset manufacturers and suppliers the confidence to make CDMA devices directly available to subscribers. In the pilot phase of the partnership, Nokia will introduce four dual-band CDMA models in the mid- to high-end range, equipped with facilities such as data compatibility, cameras, FM radios and music capabilities.

Visafone hopes the new partnership will help extend its leadership in the CDMA market; according to TeleGeography's GlobalComms database the company was Nigeria's largest mobile CDMA operator and fourth largest wireless operator in the market as a whole by subscribers at 31 March 2009, posting a customer base of 2.27 million.

East Africa to Pilot SMS Browser on Nokia Phones

Mobile-XL, a USA based mobile technology company has announced a collaboration with Nokia to start embedding its SMS based browser in mobile phones for selected African markets. As early as March 2009, a select series of Nokia handsets shipping into Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be equipped with the firms XLBrowser software service.

Commenting on the pilot in East Africa, Agatha Gikunda, marketing manager for messaging and internet services, Sub-Saharan Africa said, "Outfitting Nokia handsets with the XLBrowser is a great opportunity to provide SMS based services through a graphical, easy-to-use interface,"

Guy Kamgaing-Kouam, CEO of Mobile-XL shared, "We are excited about our collaboration with Nokia, a company that shares the same commitment to quality, customer experience and empowerment of the bottom of the pyramid. We have been working on it for almost a year now and are pleased to finally see the service officially go live in these countries.

The reach and clout they provide, combined with the XLBrowser’s simple and affordable user access to global and local information, allows us to make an immense impact on real lives in underserved markets. With this collaboration, we are taking a gigantic step toward realizing our mission of bridging the digital divide."

Nokia to Open Music Store in South Africa

Nokia has announced its intention to bring the Nokia Music Store to South Africa. The store, which will open its doors on 24 April 2009, promises to make millions of digital tracks available to local consumers.

“Not only will we have millions of tracks available for consumers, but we will have something for everyone, whatever their music tastes. The store will feature a broad range of genres including popular and non-mainstream genres, independent artists and most importantly, a wide selection of South African artists,” said Jake Larsen, Nokia’s head of music for Middle East and Africa.

“In addition, the Nokia Music Store will offer a host of interactive features such as music browsing and personal track recommendations.”

South African users will be able to access the Nokia Music Store via their personal computer or directly from Nokia devices including the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N96, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82 and the Nokia N79. 

All music on the Nokia Music Store can be purchased through a variety of payment options, including credit cards and pre-paid vouchers.

South Africa is the 12th country to see a local launch of the Nokia Music Store. Most recently the store was launched in Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.