Etisalat Launches the 3G Gaga Android Smartphone

L-R: Director, Products & Services, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Lucas Dada; MD of Devices, Huawei Technologies, Western Africa, Mr. Jacky Lee; Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Wael Ammar, and Managing Director, Qualcomm during the launch of Etisalat Nigeria’s 3G Gaga Android Smartphone.

Etisalat Nigeria, has announced the launch of its Gaga Android smartphones - Huawei U8180 with WIFI hotspot.

This was made known at the press conference held at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. 

The launch of this stylish device which is attractively priced at N18,999 comes on the heels of the recent roll-out of Etisalat’s   3.75G HSPA+ network and reinforces the company’s position as the telecoms industry leaders in innovation.

The Gaga Android smartphone, an Etisalat customized 3G-enabled device operates on android 2.2 and boasts of features including a 2.8 inch full capacity touch screen, accelerometer functionality, WiFi and WIFI hotspot, fast internet download speed of up to 7.2Mbps, , Bluetooth functionality, FM radio, a 3.2MP camera and a document viewer for word, excel, PDF, and Adobe flash. It also has the capability of downloading applications, email-on-the-go, document viewing and editing on the go, large memory size for storage, Google maps and satellite navigation.

Speaking at the launch of the new device, Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Wael Ammar, said this unique smartphone is affordable and fully customized to Etisalat Nigeria’s network in terms of hardware branding and software configuration.

“There is currently no operator in the country that is embarking on pushing 3G smartphones the way we are. We realise that more people are embracing smartphones and tablets with the growing need for individuals and businesses to stay connected. With the launch of our 3.75G HSPA+ network, we decided to introduce a customized Android Gaga smartphone at an affordable price to meet this need. The Gaga smartphone is designed for the value-conscious subscriber who wants to utilise 3G services but doesn’t want to spend a lot on acquiring a device”, he said.

According to Ammar, the Gaga smartphone has been bundled with a value plan consisting both voice and data services, and is available to both old and new Etisalat subscribers.  The Gaga smartphone offer comes bundled with free 50MB data monthly for a period of 4 months, and is available to all Etisalat prepaid customers. The lines would automatically be activated for 3G services and calls will be charged at the rate of 20k/sec, with no access fees and from the very first second.

He further explained that the Gaga smartphone was manufactured by Huawei Technologies in partnership with the chipset manufacturers, Qualcomm and will give subscribers great value for their money with access to over 200,000  applications, games, books, entertainment, business, education, sports, health, travel, weather, music etc.

Managing Director, Qualcomm, Alex Dadson, said “Qualcomm is pleased to be a technology partner for Etisalat and Huawei in launching the Gaga smartphone here in Nigeria. It takes great innovation to design an affordable smartphone that combines superior mobile processing power with advanced graphics, wireless connectivity and power efficiency. The heartbeat of the Gaga smartphone is set by the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip which brings together all these capabilities in a complete integrated system. This smartphone, together with the new Etisalat HSPA+ mobile network supports a full range of services including mobile video, social networking, gaming and music. For a most competitive price, we have a smartphone from Huawei that will redefine how Etisalat subscribers work, learn, live and play.”

The device also comes with a one year warranty and in-case of any fault within the specified time, Etisalat ensures that the device would be replaced, while adding that Huawei care centers would be in charge of repair and maintenance of the device.

To activate the 50Mb of data per month for four months, Etisalat said that customers are to send “gaga” to 8180, while adding that the device can be purchased at any Etisalat experience center or distribution partner outlet nationwide.