Aiming to bring affordable cobranded smartphones in the hands of the Bangladeshi people, Grameenphone has partnered with smartphone makers LAVA and Okapia to introduce two smartphones in the market.
Currently, only 23% of the mobile phone users in Bangladesh use smartphones. Therefore rest of the users are unable to make optimum use of the internet due to compromised experience. Grameenphone, the largest telecom operator in the Bangladesh, today has launched the affordable LAVA Iris 505 and the Okapia Alo at a local hotel to enable current feature phone users to upgrade to smartphones.
The Lava Iris 505, priced at only 2945 packs a 4.0” TFT WVGA Screen, a 1.3 GHz Dual Core processor, a 4 GB ROM coupled with a 512 MB RAM, a 2 MP rear and a 2 MP front camera, and a 1400 mAh Lithium-ion battery. Run by Android 4.4 KitKat OS, the phone is 3G, EDGE, and WiFi enabled.
The Okapia Alo, on the other hand, packs a 3.5” WVGA screen, a 1.0 GHz Dual Core processor, a 4 GB ROM coupled with a 512 GB RAM, a 2 MP rear and a 0.3 MP front camera, along with a 1400 mAh Lithium-ion battery. Run by Android 4.4 KitKat OS, the phone is 3G, EDGE, and WiFi enabled.
The phone is priced at only 2595. Customers will receive a number of value propositions from Grameenphone on purchase of the handsets. The smartphones are the lowest priced 3G-enabled smartphones in the local market. Customers will receive 7-Day Early Life Failure (ELF) benefit, under which, if they find any manufacturing defect within 7 days the smartphone will be replaced for the client. Customers will also receive exiting bundle benefits to feel a total cost of ownership for free. Both handsets will have 1 year warranty from respective manufacturers.
‘While high speed mobile Internet is knocking at doors of most Bangladeshis, many enthusiastic potential users of the internet find it difficult to upgrade to a smartphone due to the price constraint. With a keen understanding of that issue, we have decided to make their lives more convenient by introducing quality smartphones at affordable costs in the market. This will not only help a major chunk of the Bangladeshi people to upgrade their lifestyles, but will also help drive the digital vision forward in the long run,’ said Yasir Azman, Chief Marketing Officer of Grameenphone.
The introduction of handsets will now help more people to stay digitally interconnected. Customers of the new handsets from GP will also have access to exciting offers from Grameenphone, like through purchasing 100 GP-GP minutes at BDT 25, a customer will also get 500 MB free internet and 100 SMS for free. A customer will be able to avail this offer 10 times in the 10 months following purchase. Typing GPPHONE and sending to 5050, a customer will be able to avail the offer.