REMEMBER the Alcatel OT Easy AF mobile phone, with its prominent antenna and orange background screen?
That was from the early days of mobile phones in Nigeria when possession of those bulky devices useful for little more than phone calls and text messaging was a sign of affluence (or an attempt to identify with the upper class). At that time, Alcatel, along with Nokia, Motorola, Siemens and Samsung bossed the market for mobile phones in Nigeria, with their monochromatic screen displays and ‘interesting’ ringtones. But phones became more sophisticated, as colour displays became more lifelike, portability improved and functionality increased. While some of the older players in the Nigerian market adjusted to the global trend, some of the others, including Alcatel, faded into apparent oblivion.
Now, Alcatel is on a comeback mission.
Getting a share of Nigeria’s increasingly competitive mobile technology market these days is a difficult thing to do. But Alcatel has decided that the potential benefits to it are probably worth the risk. Smartphones from its One Touch range are available in the country, and it has plans to launch new products too, including the Gen Z, which will be on show at the IFA in Berlin in September 2016. It says that this range of products will cover the spectrum of consumer choice and purchasing power.
Alcatel’s renewed push for more traction in the Nigerian market will play out before our eyes. We will see, with the passage of time, the extent to which Nigerians take up its offerings, and stick with their brand.