Huawei launches Windows phone exclusively for Africa

New smartphone released in partnership with Microsoft.
Chinese manufacturer Huawei has joined forces with Microsoft to introduce a customised version of the Ascend W1 smartphone exclusive to Africa.
The two firms have teamed up in a bid to offer cost-effective smartphones to the continent, with the Huawei handset available for just $150.
Initially, the phone will only be on sale in seven countries – South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Angola and Morocco. “Our aim is to be the most affordable Windows phone in Africa," said Gustavo Fuchs, director of Microsoft Windows Phone division in the Middle East & Africa.
Africa is now the world's fastest-growing region for smartphones, with an average sales growth of 43 per cent a year since 2000.
"Africa's mobile market continues to grow robustly, driven by competition among mobile operators, the availability of new data services and strong economic growth on the continent," said Matthew Reed, principal analyst for Africa and the Middle East at Informa Telecoms & Media.
"And substantial opportunities for further growth remain, because the rate of mobile penetration in Africa is the lowest among major world regions and fixed networks are under-developed or absent across much of the continent."

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