Africa’s Role in The Mobile World

On the 3rd of November 2016, Huawei introduced the Mate 9 phablet – a cross between a phone and a tablet – in Berlin, now they plan to release the Mate 9 phablet in the Middle East and Africa.  According to the president of this Chinese smart device manufacturer, Gene Jiao, tapping into the African market is crucial for Huawei’s future growth strategy. So what is Africa’s role in the mobile world?

In a press release, Gene Jiao explained that Africa is an important market because of its growing population. Africa has 58 countries and a population of 1.26bn people. Within the next five years the population will grow by 200 million, and after 10 years it will grow by 400 million. With these statistics in mind, it makes perfect sense for big brands to expand into Africa.

Gene Jiao also explained that Huawei is a customer-centric brand. Much of their focus is on user experiences, setting the Huawei brand apart from the growing number of Chinese brands that are entering the market today. “We care about the user experience. We keep doing what we are good at, and this involves looking at customer needs and pain points, then working to make them ‘vanish’”, he said.

Huawei has invested 10% of revenue in developing innovative technology to solve customer issues. They have partnered up with German optics company, Leica, in order to develop a rear dual camera for the Mate 9. Huawei has also partnered with Porsche Design as part of their strategy to leverage different resources to deliver high-quality products to their customers. Most of the Mate 9’s features were designed with the user in mind. Included among these features is a battery that can last for two days without interruption, and a camera with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels.

The Huawei Mate 9 phablet is expected to reach South African markets early in 2018, at around R15000 each. If you would like to get your hands on one of these devices, but your service provider won’t allow you to apply for a contract because of your current debt situation, apply for a consolidation loan. With a consolidation loan, you only make one monthly payment towards your outstanding debt, instead of multiple payments to various creditors, allowing you to have extra cash in your pocket every month.