Tecno to build phone factory in Nigeria, decries ‘China Phone’ tag

Tecno, a fast growing mobile phone brand in Nigeria, has decried the ‘China Phone’ public given tag that has continued to haunt its products, despite its efforts to meet the rising and varying needs of the nation’s phone users. The company also said part of its major plan in Nigeria it to build a manufacturing plant.
The Vice President of Tecno Group, Arif Chowdhury, said this today in Lagos at the launch of the firm’s latest product, TECNO P3 Smartphone, into the Nigerian market.
“We know the African market and what the people want. We produce what is in demand and not just sell what we have. We will be launching smartphones with high screen resolution while improving our after sales service. With feedback that we have received from our various customers, you will see a more improved TECNO in Nigeria soon” he said, adding that he hoped that very soon, consumers would get to accept the
phone for what it really is and the ‘China Phone’ concept would not be around again and would fade out soon.
“Today’s consumers are getting more interested in smartphones and Nigeria is not left out of the smartphone revolution. Our products are constantly improving due to our extensive commitment to Research and Development with the Tecno facility based in France and we will be introducing top range smartphones to the Nigerian market over the course of the next few months” he added.
TECNO partnered with etisalat, a major network provider in Nigeria and Qualcomm Incorporated, a global leader in next-generation mobile technologies to launch the latest addition to the TECNO smartphone family, the TECNO P3 into the country.
This is not the first partnership the firm would have with etisalat. The duo had earlier introduced a co-branded Dual SIM phone T341 alongside the 12 months free data bundle offer for a range of TECNO smart phones & internet phones which include N7, Q1, P3, T756, T736 & T608.
Mr. Chowdhury noted that currently, many mobile phone brands and mobile network operators are seeking partnerships but are careful in their choice, due to the value they place in their image.
He said this partnership gives consumers who buy the TECNO P3smart free 100 megabytes of internet access for 12 months powered by easyblaze on the etisalat 3.75G network. It also comes with 3G internet access with the support of Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
“It is obvious that cooperation and partnership is part of the essential element to boost acceptability and sales. Today’s partnership will not only benefit our numerous customers by providing them with favourable services,” he said.
The TECNO P3 is an entry-level smartphone that runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, and powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ MSM7225A processor to offer users 3G smartphone experience, good battery life, and easy access to the Internet and multiple social networks.
It is an all touch screen smartphone that is WiFi enabled. It has shortcuts to Facebook, Google Play Store, Gmail, Yahoo and Opera Mini etc.” Above all, it is a Dual-SIM standby model with 3G/2G connectivity which makes internet usage more interesting.
Mr. Chowdhury said the firm “realised that internet savvy Nigerians are in dire need of a fast, innovative and seamless internet experience. These experiences are what TECNO P3 smartphone brings, and that also informs why we partnered with etisalat”.
He said consumers can choose either the etisalat customized version available at etisalat experience centers and its partner retailers, or buy the un-customized version from TECNO’s partner retailers nationwide and it comes with the same data bundle offer as the customized version.
Wael Ammar, the Chief Commercial Officer of etisalat Nigeria said, “The telecommunication industry has seen an increased demand for data and smartphones in recent times, and it is important for network providers and phone manufacturers to continue to collaborate and initiate products and services to satisfy these needs. etisalat’s most advanced 3.75G, HSPA+ Network and its easyblaze broadband service with speed up to 42 mbps combined with these TECNO phones is yet another example of our continuous effort to bring our customers easy, affordable and reliable access to the internet.”
Also speaking at the event, Alex Dadson, Senior Director of Business Development for Qualcomm West Africa, said, “Our partnership with TECNO in manufacturing smartphones according to the Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) continues to offer the Nigerian market the best 3G smartphone experience. QRD is the only program of its kind that brings together the value of the mobile industry leader with specific products, features and programs for emerging markets. TECNO’s P3 leverages the power of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor to give consumers an affordable smartphone that delivers a superior user experience.”
The phone company said it will soon set up a factory in Nigeria, to compete effectively in the phone market and to create jobs.
“Nigeria is our greatest market in terms of focus, because Africa is our major focus and Nigeria is like the capital of Africa. We plan to have a factory in Lagos. Without a plant, we cannot compete. We would do it. Tecno is Nigeria, Nigeria is Tecno. Apart from positioning to compete effectively, having a plant here is an avenue for us to give back to the country; it is a means for us to create jobs. When we work here, we would work with people here,” Mr. Chowdhury said.