Nokia ring tone fast fading from markets

Microsoft Corp has dropped the Nokia name from its mobile devices months after it bought the Finnish telecoms company’s devices unit.

The company will on Thursday launch its last two Nokia-branded smartphones in Kenya, Nokia Lumia 730 and Nokia Lumia 830, bringing to an end an era synonymous with the advent of mobile phones in the country.

Nokia was arguably one of the most famous mobile phone brands in Kenya in the early 2000s, alongside Motorola and Eriksson.

MICROSOFT PHONE

The entry of Samsung and Huawei has, over time, eaten into the company’s market share.

The Nokia Lumia 730 is popularly known as “the selfie phone” due its 5mp front-facing camera.

Internationally, Microsoft has already ditched the Nokia name on its new devices.

On Tuesday, the company, which bought Nokia’s Devices & Services business earlier this year at Sh648 billion ($7.2 billion), launched its first non-Nokia branded smartphone.

The Microsoft Lumia 535 is a dual SIM smartphone running on Windows Phone 8.1 operating system and will be available locally in December. It comes with a five inch screen and 5 megapixel camera.

“Microsoft Lumia 535 will be in key markets in November, and will be available in bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black. Pricing for Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM will vary by market and operator,” said a statement.

It will be a tough task for Microsoft to retain and grow the small Nokia market share in the country, as more and more manufacturers turn to the East African region for a piece of the fast-developing telecommunications sector.