A global association of mobile phone operators said yesterday it has selected Motorola to supply a low-cost handset to developing countries in a bid to widen access to telecommunications services.
The phones -- the C113 and C113a -- will cost under US$30 each and are part of a project by the GSM Association (GSMA) to make telecommunications more affordable to people in rural regions and less populated cities.
"To get below US$30 per handset is a milestone achievement," GSMA chairman Craig Ehrlich said at the announcement on the second day of the group's world congress in Singapore.
"Today's news cements the formation of a whole new market segment for the mobile industry and will bring the benefits of mobile communications to a huge swathe of people in developing countries."
Rob Conway, the GSMA chief executive, said US mobile phone maker Motorola had been selected to supply the devices which are being mass-produced under phase two of GSMA's Emerging Market Handset initiative.
Ten mobile phone operators have said they expect to order about six million of the low-cost handsets from Motorola, GSMA said in a statement.
The two handset models -- which offer talk times of up to 450 minutes and a maximum 330 hours of standby -- will be available early next year.
Under phase one of the program, Motorola had supplied a low-cost model which was made available in 17 developing countries -- India, South Africa, Nigeria, Congo, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, Sri Lanka and Kenya.
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