There are over 1.4 Billion people in Africa but a massive proportion are unconnected. While many in Africa have cell phones, these phones are 2G phones which do not connect to the internet. 2G phones are much cheaper than their 3G counterparts hence why so many opt for these phones. This leaves many unconnected from the online world right around them. Global Chip Manufacturer UNISOC, formally known as Spreadtrum Communications, has plans to get all of Africa connected. I sat down with UNISOC to find out how they plan to do this.
UNISOC has been in Africa for 10 years and has been providing more than 100 million chipsets per year. By providing high quality and low cost chipsets to providers such as Vodafone, MTN and Orange, in Africa, UNISOC has been able to allow local partners to save costs in the manufacturing stage. This means the products using UNISOC chipsets, such as cellular phones, can be cheaper. Not only are these phones cheaper, they are also smart and connected. These smart feature phones are now finally affordable and more people will be able to finally afford a phone that they can do more on, than just text and call.
UNISOC has goals to be the leading chipset provider in Africa and they don’t have far to go. Currently UNISOC sits in the top 3 amongst the likes of Qualcomm and Mediatek. UNISOC has been established for 17 years and with more than 4000 engineers all around the world, there is a strong foundation for sustainable development. With 14 R&D centers, 8 marketing support centres and talents from all over the world, UNISOC are well resourced to deliver quality products, turnkey solutions, excellent service, customized software and hardware.
UNISOC feel that they will be successful in Africa as they are providing a product that is suitable for the local requirement. Other chipset Manufacturers like QUALCOMM and Mediatek are focusing on proving the best chipsets for the best phones while their lower spec chipsets are expensive. UNISOC have stepped in by proving really good chipsets at a fraction of the price. In that way, the cheaper phones become capable of doing more, without making them more expensive.
UNISOC have plans to launch a 4G feature phone which will be coming to South Africa in the near future. While their current focus is on introducing 3G smart feature phones, they feel it is necessary to plan ahead so they can provide a 4G phone when the time comes at a the right price, which is said to be around 20 dollars. In order to bring the 4G smart feature phone to South Africa, UNISOC will partner with a carrier such as Vodacom or MTN in order to get the phone into the hands of the right people and at the right price.
“UNISOC has been in the African market for over 10 years and every year there are about 100 million mobile phones that powered by UNISOC chipsets sold in Africa.” said Mr. Adam Zeng, Executive Vice President of Unigroup and CEO of UNISOC, “Without doubt, the African market is one of the most important overseas markets for UNISOC, both now and in the long run, and we will continue to invest more in Africa to fill in the mobile communications and IoT gaps in this market. With customized solutions and excellent services, we will create a rich and diversified mobile ecosystem for Africa that will enable more than 1 billion African consumers to connect intelligently.”
At the Africom conference that took place recently in Cape Town, UNISOC together with MTN, China Mobile Communications Group and KaiOS, launched a cost efficient and competitive 3G smart feature phone. Powered by a UNISOC SC7731EF chipset, this is the world’s first 3G smart feature phone that will have many more features than a dumb phone that can just text and call. This phone is tailored for the African continent and will allow those that can’t afford an expensive phone, to have a phone that has smart features that can access the internet without breaking the bank. The phone will sell for around 20$, which is around R280.
UNISOC will continue to invest in the African market to ensure that the unconnected become connected. This will be done with partnerships with the big brands such as Google, Facebook as well as the network providers. The networks will need to be prepared to subsidize their data packages to make it affordable. By building the digital Africa with their competitive products and technology, UNISOC will succeed in connecting Africa.
To find out more about UNISOC visit unisoc.com
