Less than $17 4G LTE cellphones are introduced by Airtel Rwanda.

Airtel Rwanda introduces 4G LTE telephones for less than $17.

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With the beginning of its “ConnectRwanda2.0” campaign, Airtel Rwanda hopes to give over a million Rwandans access to reasonably priced 4G cellphones.

The program makes 4G cellphones more affordable for a larger Rwandan audience by selling them to the general public for Rwf20,000 ($16.4). Additionally, subscribers have the option of paying Rwf1,000 per month, which covers 1GB of daily internet access in addition to unlimited calls and SMS on all networks.

Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, underlined the significance of cellphones in the current digital era in an interview.

Only 23% of families, according to recent census statistics, had cellphones, which made it difficult for individuals to employ intermediaries to access e-government services on Irembo. To solve this, we worked with a range of partners, including telecom providers, to lower the cost and increase accessibility of cellphones. “It’s encouraging to see Airtel providing 4G smartphones to Rwandans for only Rwf20,000, as this effectively connects them to the internet, SMS, and phone services,” the spokesperson stated.

“We think this initiative will help close the digital divide and make it easier for more Rwandans to obtain basic e-government services,” Ingabire stated. “It addresses the affordability hurdle.”

Emmanuel Hamez, the managing director of Airtel Rwanda, clarified, saying, “As you may already be aware, we only acquired the 4G license two months ago. But we discovered that there aren’t enough 4G phones available. Less than 30% of smartphones are in use; the percentage is most likely closer to 25%. It would be pointless to roll up a strong 4G network without any available phones. Thus, we’ve teamed up with regulators to launch a top-notch, reasonably priced smartphone.

“This smartphone features two cameras, 4G capability, 32 gigabytes of ROM, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and a 5-inch screen,” Hamez said in describing the phone’s specifications. We are providing a legitimate 4G smartphone for a one-time payment of just Rwf20,000. To put this into perspective, you will receive service at almost no cost for the duration of this payment, or roughly a year. The monthly payment will be Rwf1,000, which is less than $1.

You’ll get 1 gigabyte of data per day, or 30 gigabytes per month, with this, in addition to unlimited calls and SMS to all networks. This incredible deal is especially for people who have never used a 4G smartphone before. People will be able to register, create new email addresses using Gmail or other providers, access the Play Store, download apps like WhatsApp, use a variety of social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, and take advantage of streaming services like Netflix thanks to this, which will open up a world of possibilities. Additionally, we’re dedicated to teaching those who aren’t familiar with this technology,” stated Hamez.

He continued by saying that these phones will be accessible to individuals in districts and cities as they will be sold at all 200 of their service facilities throughout Rwanda. “This is an exciting development, especially just before the GSMA summit,” he said in closing. We’re doing more than simply making statements; we’re acting.

President Paul Kagame has praised the effort, which was made possible by his government’s supportive laws, which enabled Netflix co-founder and executive chairman Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. to donate $20 million to buy the phones.

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