LAGOS: Nigeria is getting another boost in the telecom sector aimed at increasing the number of smartphones available on the market. Chinese telecom and mobile device maker, Huawei, announced this week that it was to launch a number of new smartphone devices in the Nigerian market this year. Huawei West Africa MD Tony Liang said in a statement that the company “would introduce to the Nigerian market in 2013 a new range of Android-powered smartphones. “This will include the Ascend D Quad XL smartphone, which comes with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 4.5-inch display with 1280×720 pixel resolution and 1GB of RAM," he added. The move is seen as an attempt by the Chinese company to continue to push forward in the African market. With Nigeria being the largest African country by population, they view the local market as ideal in promoting their often cheaper mobile devices. The new phone “also includes a microSD slot, MHL connectivity, DLNA support, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear shooter and a 2,600 mAh battery," Liang added. Liang also said that Huawei would also introduce the Android-based Honor smartphone and Mediapad 7 Lite tablet. Nigeria has been hit hard in the telecom sector in recent months as the country's regulator has put a number of restrictions on operators after they continued to deliver poor services to their users, including bans on promotions. BN
