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Cape Town – MTN has decided to finally adopt dual-SIM smartphones with the launch of the Huawei Mate S on its network.
The operator said the move was in response to a growing South African trend for dual-SIM devices.
Dual-SIM technology allows subscribers to use a second SIM card in a smartphone for data contracts, calls or messaging. Meanwhile, dual-SIM devices make up 34.6% of smartphones in SA, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
“There is a growing appetite for an upmarket dual-SIM smartphone for discerning customers and the decision to range the Huawei Mate S gives expression to that,” Larry Annetts, Sales and Marketing executive at MTN South Africa, told Fin24.
While dual-SIM technology has enjoyed popularity in African markets such as Kenya and Nigeria, South African operators have shied away from high-end dual-SIM handsets. South Africa's third largest mobile operator Cell C sells a number of dual-SIM devices including the Sony Xperia M5, AG Mobile Ghost and Samsung Galaxy J1, and MTN has decided to adopt a more open policy toward the technology.
Growing trend
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“The insight we are getting from the market is that there is a growing population of customers who carry multiple SIMs for a variety of reasons. This is the reality of our market, something that we need to cater for,” said Annetts.
He added that the company was investigating premium Sony and Samsung dual-SIM models that are available, but not promoted in SA.
“We cannot rule out the possibility of ranging these devices. For now, nothing has been finalised yet. If we do range these handsets, we will communicate this to the market.”MTN offers the dual-SIM Mate S for R499 on a 24 month contract compared to Cell C at R529. Vodacom sells the single SIM version for R529.
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