It is early Christmas for Safaricom customers after the telco slashed prices of smartphones and accessories by up to 45 percent.

Safaricom says the offers are aimed at complimenting customers’ digital lifestyles as they gear up for the festive season. Owning a smartphone has never been this cheap. With Sh2,999, one can now own a quality smartphone.

The offers will last through the festive season until January 5. Some of the smartphones on offer include the Neon Ray, which is one of the most affordable 4G devices retailing for as low as Sh2,999 plus 500 Bonga points.

Kenya has one of the highest internet penetration rates in Africa and has been ranked as one of the most digitally savvy nations on the continent. Its youth is very mobile and opts to perform most tasks on their smartphones.

Latest data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the sector regulator shows that as of June 30, 2019, the number of data or internet subscriptions in Kenya stood at 49.9 million with 99.9 percent being on mobile data. This was an increase of 21.4 percent since 30th June -  a similar period in 2018.

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Michael Joseph said as part of the firm’s strategy to be simple, transparent and honest with its customers, the telco has partnered with various devices and accessory manufacturers to lower the cost of mobile devices and smartphones through offers and promotions.

Some of the devices that will be on offer include smartphones, headphones, power banks, cables, device chargers, and memory cards.

As of September 2019, Safaricom had sold over 600,000 Neon smartphones making the devices the most popular and affordable smartphone in its retail shops across the country. The demand has been attributed to the need for customers to seek quality and affordable devices.

All devices on offer will be available at all Safaricom shops and Safaricom dealer outlets countrywide from November 25, 2019, to January 5, 2020.

Safaricom has been investing heavily to reap from the digital dividends of the internet revolution unfolding in the country.  This year, it is pumping Sh38billion in infrastructure as it aims to cover over 93 percent of the country’s population with 4G and 3G networks.  

Customers need quality smartphones to exploit these technologies. The operator boasts of over 31.8million customers and has over 100 different products under its portfolio.

The firm is also positioning itself to be ahead of the pack in the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, using its 4G network. 

Last week, it entered into a partnership with Kenyan Breweries to link coolers of their distributors back to a network in Nairobi to track and optimize their performance. 

The coolers will have sensors that will transmit data and KBL distributors can now tell where their fridges are located, if the fridges are in use or not, on or off, whether the fridges are at the optimal temperature, and how many times the door of the cooler is opened.