Johannesburg - In a surprise move, HMD - the new home of Nokia mobile phones - announced the highly anticipated 3310 will be available in South Africa on Monday.
The device will be on sale in the country from May 29 at Cell C, where it will be available in the iconic dark blue with a matte finish. It will retail at estimated price of R749.
MTN will offer the 3310 in three colours: warm red and yellow, both with a gloss finish, and dark blue with a matte finish. It will retail at estimated price of R699 and be available from mid-June from MTN partners.
READ: Here is what the relaunched iconic Nokia 3310 looks like
Former Nokia South Africa managing director and now general manager for HMD Global Southern Africa Shaun Durandt said the company is delighted to bring the Nokia 3310 phone to South African consumers.
“Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands in our country for decades. HMD has received an incredible reception from our partners so far; it seems everyone shares our excitement for this next chapter,” Durandt said.
“Our consumers are more discerning and demanding than ever before and for us they will always come first. We’ve worked really hard with our teams around the world to bring together world class manufacturers, operating systems and technology partners, enabling us to proudly start sales of the Nokia 3310, a classic reimagined," he added.
READ: First impressions: Five minutes with Nokia's rebirthed 3310
Finnish manufacturer HMD rebooted the iconic mobile phone after 17 years. It is reminiscent of the original, with a few more features and some new accents in its aesthetic appeal.
The new 3310 was relaunched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona alongside the Nokia 3, 5, and 6 Android devices in February this year.
First launched in the year 2000, the 3310 became one of the most popular cellphones in South Africa and one of the most successful in the world.
The 3310 was the epitome of the cellphone in the early 2000s, ushering in the era of colour-screen smartphones with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
After HMD acquired Nokia's licensing rights, the focus of the company shifted to producing ‘dumb phones’ with no internet access, while the company relied on love for the brand to spark the nostalgia of its customers – making it no surprise that Nokia’s most popular cellphone would be re-released.