2/6/2005
HELSINKI (Reuters)-The world”s top mobile phone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) launched on Thursday two new low-end handsets, the 1110 and 1600 models, aimed at first-time users in growth markets like Africa.
Both models are expected to be in shops during the third quarter of this year.
The 1110 is expected to have a retail price of 65 euros ($79.65), while the 1600 is forecast to cost 85 euros, Nokia said in a statement from a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
The models include basic functions as well as a speaking clock. The 1110 has an inverted black and white display while the 1600 has a color screen.
Nokia said expects the African subscriber base to reach 100 million by the end of this year and to double to 200 million by 2009.
"The number of new mobile users in fast growing markets continues to rise dramatically and nowhere is the rate of growth more evident than in Africa," Juha Pinomaa, a vice president of Nokia”s mobile phones unit, said in the statement.