Telenor Joins Its Competitors In Handset Race

Telenor has joined its competitors, Ufone and Zong, in the race of selling handsets along with cellphone services. The company has kicked off with two entry level 3G handsets – Telenor Easy 3G and Telenor Smart 3G which will be available on all Telenor Sales & Service Centers and franchises from 15th April 2015. Moreover, i2 Pakistan will be the major distribution and warranty partner for Telenor with over 800 collection points.

The increasing popularity of 3G and 4G connectivity in the country has compelled Telenor to manufacture affordable handsets for lower and middle income groups. Telenor went one step further and interviewed citizens in rural areas who showed interest in 3G service in their region.

Irfan Wahab Khan, Chief Marketing Officer of Telenor Pakistan said:

“3G is getting popular across the country but unavailability of affordable and good featured handsets are hampering its growth. The penetration of 3G technology could be faster than today if customers will be provided handsets that could easily supported 3G technology with desired applications and options.”

Telenor Easy 3G seems a pretty basic mobile phone with a mid-sized screen, a fine keypad with round home button and a Telenor logo displayed right in between the two. The phone has a front camera and preloaded with social media apps (Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp) with a price tag of Rs. 3,700 to 3,900.

Telenor Smart 3G, on the other hand, is a basic smartphone with full-sized screen and three buttons for Home, Back, Recent Apps at the bottom of it. The smartphone is preloaded with Telenor Music, Telenor Appstore, Viber, Skype and social media apps with a price tag of Rs. 6,000 to 6,700.

Despite being entry level handsets, the price range is a little expensive as compared to the ones offered by its competitors. Additionally, there are some decent smartphones from popular brands already available in the market within the same price range. However, Telenor has offered an extended warranty of 18 months, a balance of Rs.600 and 3GB data for six months with these handsets. Let’s just hope these incentives are enough to attract citizens.

Share your chances of buying one of these handsets in the comment section below.