Orange mobile ventures into the mass market

Telkom Kenya has kept its promise of catering to the mass market, launching low-cost handsets with Kiswahili language interface for 1,499 Kenyan shillings (US$20.72).

The Samsung B130 from Orange Mobile is fitted with a color screen, Swahili menu and long-life battery designed especially for areas without electricity.

The phones will complement the company's offer of one shilling per minute for all Orange network calls.

The highly subsidized handsets will boost mobile telephony penetration rates in the country, said Telkom Kenya CEO Dominique Saint-Jean. "This offer is a gesture of 'togetherness with Kenyans' during this time when energy bills and inflation figures have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels," he added.

The offer includes a free SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, Orange T-shirt and 50 shillings of airtime upon activation. Customers also receive 50 shillings of bonus airtime for every 500 shillings of airtime used within 30 days and 10 free SMS (Short Message Service) every 30 days.

"Being an integrated communication solutions provider, Telkom Kenya must be beyond making money," Saint-Jean said. "We must be sensitive to the prevailing market forces of which the customer is central."