Huawei sales spike in Kenya

BUSINESS

By Carole Kimutai, Nairobi, Kenya

Global ICT firm Huawei says it is seeing ‘phenomenal’ sales in Kenya as the smartphone market in that country gains traction.

Huawei says it has sold 130,000 IDEOS smartphones in Kenya since they were launched there in September 2010. 

Huawei Devices, whose new slogan is “let’s simply share”, was the first company to introduce IDEOS - an affordable smart phone - in the Kenyan market. According to market research, there has been an increase in smart phones sales in the past one year in Kenya as a result of increased demand by mobile phone users seeking more from their mobile phones. 

According to quarter three statistics from the Kenya Audience Research Foundation conducted by media research company Synovate, mobile phones come second to radios as a preferred media. From a sample population of 8,504, 88% of the people interviewed had used a mobile phone in the last seven days compared to 93% for radio.

Commenting on the sales, Huawei CEOHerman He said: “The phenomenal sales witnessed are as a result of intensive marketing campaign on the multimedia offering that comes with a smart phone. The rapid technological changes and increased mobile internet use across the globe has also led to the high demand and uptake for smart phones. Through this Huawei has ensured that everyone has access to smart phones at a reasonable price while ensuring they are user friendly.”

In order to leverage on this trend, Huawei in Kenya has set aside a marketing budget of KSh. 100 million (USD 1.05 million) for 2012.  “We will be introducing the Huawei Vision, Huawei Honour and the Media pad, which are expected to rake in more revenue for the company,” says He.