Vodacom launches Facebook-enabled phone
August 23, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
MOBILE operator Vodacom yesterday launched a “feature phone” dedicated mainly to social networking service Facebook.
The device will accelerate data usage and in return this will increase data revenue , which has become a key source of revenue for mobile network operators.
The Vodafone 555 Blue device was developed in partnership with Vodacom’s parent company, Vodafone, and Facebook.
Vodacom said the device was an entirely different proposition in terms of pricing, features and target audience. “It’s not a smartphone but a feature phone that enables customers to access Facebook with just one click,” said Enzo Scarcella, the managing executive of marketing at Vodacom.
The smartphone comes with built-in Facebook functionality, which runs the moment the phone is switched on.
The phone will retail for R749, a crucial price point for mass-market adoption. The phone is also billed as the first Facebook-centric device for prepaid customers.
Mr Scarcella said social networking using cellphones “is becoming increasingly important amongst customers who want to stay connected regardless of the time or place, and this global trend is relevant to SA too”.
According to Mr Scarcella, there are more than 4,1-million Facebook users in SA. The Vodafone 555 Blue will provide more users in the emerging market with an affordable way to access the world’s largest social networking site, he said.
At the end of June, Vodacom had 3,7-million active smartphones on its network. It also increased the number of active data customers by 43,3% to 10,9-million in the three months to June, compared with the same period last year.
Jonathan Labin, Facebook’s client partner for central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said Facebook “wants to make every phone social and Vodafone has taken the integration of Facebook to the next stage for an affordable mobile device with the Vodafone 555 Blue”. According to the Facebook website, there are more than 250-million active users of Facebook through their mobile devices.
mochikot@bdfm.co.za
