Nokia to take over dual SIM market in Pakistan

KARACHI: Nokia Thursday unveiled the first two of its Dual SIM phones - Nokia X1-01 and Nokia C2-00 in Pakistan. Nokia hopes that its Dual SIM range with competitive features would help the company maintain its leadership position in emerging markets like Pakistan.

The dual SIM range from Nokia offers a variety of high-demand features at reasonable prices. Both models offer the most convenient and intuitive experience available for switching between SIM cards – without compromising on features and fun.

As Nokia adds phones with more attractive features to its device range, it aims to connect the next billion to the power of mobile communications. Nokia would also like to enable internet on its low-cost mobile phones such as these to help more people enjoy their first-internet experience on their mobile phone. The company is already considering partnership with local operators to help end consumers benefit from affordable internet data bundles.

Talking about the two new Dual SIM phones from Nokia, Haseeb Ihtisham, Head of Marketing, Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan said, “The Nokia X1-01 and Nokia C2-00 are high-quality budget phones that come with more memory, better battery life and streamlined SIM change option coupled with more entertainment features than any other Dual SIM phone currently available in the market.”

He added, “Although Nokia doesn’t have the first mover advantage when it comes to Dual SIM phones, we wanted to make sure that when we launch our first Dual SIM phone in the market, it is worth its while.”

Commenting on Nokia’s commitment to Pakistani market, Reza Burney, Country Care Manager said, “Nokia has always disapproved import of mobile phones with duplicate IMEI numbers as well as phones without original Nokia warranty on all platforms. We care about Pakistani consumers as well as the economy, it is for this reason that we endorse availability of only high-quality and reliable mobile phones in Pakistani market brought into country via authorized channels only. We applaud the initiative taken by PTA and government to address this issue because it would not only help the national kitty save on evaded import taxes but also help ascertain a more secure economic environment. All Nokia phones offer the satisfaction of Nokia’s brand reliability, resale value, after-sales service and Nokia Pakistan warranty. The fact that Nokia phones are covered by a comprehensive one year warranty plan via Nokia’s country-wide Care network makes it convenient and more enjoyable for the consumers.”

The Nokia X1-01and Nokia C2-00 is now available in Pakistan in the approximate price range of Rs3100, Rs3400 and Rs5200, Rs5500, respectively.

The availability of these branded Dual SIM phones is likely to give a tough time to low-cost Chinese brands whose claim to fame has been multiple SIM phones sans quality.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2011