Orange said it has democratised access to the internet for a large number of Africans with the launch of a $20 USD voice recognition smartphone called “Sanza”.

The device, which will be made available in 15 African countries from April this year – as well as in the Middle East.

Alioune Ndiaye, managing director of Orange MENA, said the launch of Sanza was a major step toward giving a larger number of Africans access to the internet because the smartphone was affordable.

The new smartphone  from Orange comes with the UNISOC SC7731EF processor and is powered by the KaiOS operating system.

 

“Sanza is concrete proof of the capacity of Orange to be a key player of digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle-East” he said. ”With its access to internet with the voice (recognition) and its attractive price around $20 USD I have the conviction that this 3G phone and soon 4G is a powerful lever to develop access to internet for all Africa.”

The smartphone penetration rate in Africa is low because of price, which has made the devices unaffordable for low-income earners that make up the majority of the continent’s population.

Gérard Lokossou, chief executive officer, Orange Democratic Republic of Congo said penetration in the country was 30 per cent versus the average of 50 per cent for the continent.

“The established mobile payment services via Orange Money, the launch of 4G+ in 2018 and our engagement to extend 3G coverage to the whole country are all contributing to boost the smartphone penetration rate in DRC,” he added. “The next commercialisation of the Sanza phone at an affordable price demonstrates our strategy for the democratisation of Internet access in the country.”

The new device will be commercialised with a dedicated offer (voice/text/data) starting around $US20 USD - depending in which country the user is based - that will help customers to work to their budget.

In addition, the Google Assistant feature will help users overcome language and literacy challenges and understands multiple French and English accents. The phone menu is available in Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese, English and French.

Sanza will also give users access to applications such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps, as well as Orange Money, the flagship mobile- based money transfer and financial services offer and My Orange - the application to monitor your mobile consumption, among other things.

The phone comes with the UNISOC SC7731EF processor, manufactured by UNISOC, and is powered by the KaiOS operating system from KaiOS Technologies.