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OFF THE PRESS

Vodafone Re-launches 15 Dollar Phone for Developing Countries

Vodafone is tapping emerging and developing markets with two self-branded handsets in the range of USD $15-$20. In the first phase, the phones will be launched in India and six markets in Africa, including The Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Qatar, South Africa and Tanzania. The company intends to support the launch with an extensive logistics infrastructure, reaching deep rural segments where mobile penetration typically remains low. In India, it is expected that device availability will reach 60% of the population.

While Vodafone 150 will be sold for less than USD $15, Vodafone 250 wil be sold for less than USD $20. Vodafone 150 is equipped with a monochrome display and Vodafone 250 has color display and an FM tuner. Since both phones come with no bells and whistles they come with batteries that last up to five hours of talk time and ten days of standby. Both Vodafone low cost phones work with SMS messaging and mobile payment services. The handsets are manufactured by Chinese company, TCL, which produces mobile phones under the brand Alcatel.

"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. 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.

Vodafone had previously launched similar low cost handsets in 2007 as a partnership initiative with ZTE, a Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer. At the time, Vodafone 125 and Vodafone 250 were priced at USD $25 and $45 respectively.

The devide specification for the new phones read like this:

Vodafone 150 : Black candy bar device with 5-way navigation key; 1.0” monochrome graphic display 96x64 pixels; voice and SMS; GSM 900/1800; polyphonic ringtones; vibration; alarm clock; calculator; currency converter; 2 embedded games; memory for up to100 entries in phonebook plus SMS storage; torch; battery: 500mAh (standby up to 400h, talk time up to 5h); mini USB connector.

Vodafone 250: Black or grey-blue candy bar device with 5-way navigation key; 1.45” CSTN display, 128x128 pixels; FM radio and stereo headset support; wallpapers; voice and SMS; GSM 900/1800; polyphonic ringtones; vibration; alarm clock; calculator; currency converter; 2 embedded games; memory for up to100 entries in phonebook and SMS storage; torch; battery: 500mAh (standby up to 400h, talk time up to 5h); mini USB connector.

Listen to Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Director of Terminals, talking about Vodafone 150:

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