Airtel to introduce Nokia X smartphone in Africa

Bharti Airtel, which has operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, will launch Nokia X smartphones across 17 countries in Africa from mid-April this year.

Designed for consumers in high-growth markets, the affordable Nokia X provides access to Android applications, while users can access Nokia features such as HERE Maps.

The Nokia X family is also an affordable introduction to the most popular Microsoft services, including free cloud storage using OneDrive and Outlook.com.

''As Africa's largest Internet provider, we are excited that Airtel customers in 17 countries will be amongst the first in the world to enjoy a unique combination of Nokia's stunning design and user experience integrated with a wide range of services'" Airtel Africa chief marketing officer Andre Beyers said. "In addition, Nokia X will come with data bundles for our customers to access their favorite social sites and chat applications.''

The first offering, the flagship Nokia X, is a handset with a 4'' capacitive display and exchangeable back covers that come in a variety of colours. Inside, the device runs on the Nokia X Software Platform and is powered by a1Ghz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Tile-based icons give the Nokia X's user interface a fresh look, while by the upgraded Fastlane feature makes switching between favourite apps and content even smoother. 

''We are delighted to partner with Airtel to offer the Nokia X smartphone'' said Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia. ''Consumers can enjoy their favourite applications, the best of signature Nokia experiences and the most popular Microsoft Internet and cloud services, wrapped-up on a smartphone that holds-on the Nokia promise.''

New Delhi-based Bharti Airtel ranks amongst the top four mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers.