04 September 2020
Integrated mobile network and ICT services provider TNM has partnered with KaiOS Technologies to launch “the most affordable” 4G KaiOS-enabled smart feature phone in Malawi.
Priced at MK 24,999, the TNM Smart 4G will come with a value of MK28,000 worth of bonuses comprising 500 MBs, 150 SMSs and free Caller Tune every month for six months. This offer, apparently, makes it the most affordable 4G device in the history of mobile internet in Malawi.
The phone will offer customers access to essential and popular apps such as WhatsApp, Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube, Facebook, and many other applications unique to KaiOS.
TNM chief executive officer (CEO) Michiel Buitelaar said this device has been designed to suit the communication needs of first-time users and people in rural areas.
“These devices will help people to entertain and educate themselves or have broadband internet,” he added.
The CEO said the 4G phone would help disseminate timely and accurate information on Covid-19 at a time when cases are escalating and the United Nations has warned of disastrous effects on the least developed countries, which include Malawi.
To address low digital literacy issues, Buitelaar said the KaiOS phone comes with an easy-to-use interface, an in-house app called Life which features training and lessons related to digital literacy and other educational content. It also provides access to Google Assistant that allows first-time internet users to use voice to easily navigate and connect with the digital world.
Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies, added: “As the first company to make KaiOS smart feature phones available in Malawi, the launch cements TNM’s reputation as a pioneer in offering new services that help improve the lives of the country’s people and increases economic prosperity. We will work with TNM to ensure that our devices carry content that is relevant and useful to the people of Malawi”.
New Information Minister Gospel Kazako commended TNM for its unflinching efforts towards Malawi’s economic development through investments in mobile internet technology and ICT.
“TNM takes a long view,” he said. “They have invested significantly in a 4G mobile internet network that has transformed the TNM network into one of the most reliable Internet service providers in Malawi.”
KaiOS Technologies was founded in 2016 and launched in 2017, with a focus on feature phones. Its flagship product, KaiOS, sees more than 135 million devices shipped in over 150 countries.
