Plus One Global, the Tokyo-based maker and seller of the FREETEL brand of budget smartphones, has started selling its devices on the Egyptian Market. The company has partnered with Egypt’s largest smart phone distributor, MTI Group. The company further plans to expand its footprint into other parts of the Middle East and Africa market.
Plus One Global began as a startup in 2012, offering low-cost mobile services using lines leased from NTT Docomo. It also developed its own brand of smartphones, which are made to specification in China and sold both in and outside Japan under the FREETEL brand name.
“In places such as North Africa, many consumers cannot afford the kinds of expensive smartphones made by companies like Apple and Samsung. They instead opt for cheap, locally made handsets. The problem is that such cheap devices tend to break. Plus One Global is in a good position to increase sales by promoting the famed reliability of Japanese brands,” said the company in a statement.
Plus One launched its first major overseas push in the Middle East & Africa Region in the beginning 2017 in Ghana partnership with nation’s largest retailer Telefonika & and online retailer Tigmoo and currently sells over 100 retailers across, nation. In 2017 July, FREETEL established a tie-up with Africa’s largest Distributor; TD Africa to make devices available in Nigeria, Africa’s largest smartphone Market. Subsequently, FREETEL launched Ice2, a $36 smartphone in Nigeria in partnership with Google and MTN.
FREETEL Smartphones are available in United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia at over 1200 retail stores all major online retailers in the region including SOUQ, JUMIA and KONGA. FREETEL is planning to expand to five additional markets in the region including Saudi Arabia and South Africa by 2018.
