Airtel, Huawei, Microsoft launch Windows 8 Smartphone

Leading telecommunications service provider, Airtel Nigeria, in conjunction with Huawei and Microsoft have unveiled its first Smartphone that runs on the Microsoft windows Phone 8 operating systems Ascend W1.
The latest Huawei Ascend W1 smartphone comes bundled with free 200 Megabytes (MB) data plan for the first 6 months on the Airtel network.
In addition, customers who purchase the phone would also enjoy Airtel’s special Smartbytes plan of 20 free SMS, 18K per second calls to all networks in Nigeria and 20k per second call rate to 5 international destinations (USA, United Kingdom-Land Line, Canada, India and China).

(L-r) Chief Sales Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Inusa Bello; Consumer Channels Group Director, Microsoft, Mark Ihimoyan and Tony Liang Wei, MD, Huawei Devices, West Africa at the unveiling of Huawei Ascends W1 smart phones in Ikoyi, Lagos on Thursday.

To activate the free Airtel 200mb of data for 6 months, customers are to text ‘SMART’ to 141.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Sales Officer for Airtel Nigeria, Inusa Bello, said the company was proud to collaborate with Huawei in providing Nigerians with innovative mobile experience especially on superior data offerings, to enhance the way they work and play.
“Only recently, we unveiled a special recharge card called the Single Recharge that enables customers to do both voice and data recharge using one card. Today, WhatsApp subscribers on Airtel platform are enjoying exclusive first of its kind data bundle service in partnership with “WhatsApp Inc. These innovations ride on our superior and widest 3.75g service, underscoring our determination to become the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians”, Bello stated.
According to the Managing Director of Huawei Devices, West Africa Tony Liang Wei, “the phone is specifically created for Africa and is powered by Microsoft, making it the first Huawei Windows 8 smart phone in the world. He added that the smart phone has 470 hours of standby time, the longest of all Smartphone’s in its class.”
Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, stated: “Microsoft is confident that the Ascend 1 from Huawei, being unveiled today, provides excellent value for African consumers and will support both companies’ ambitious growth plans for the continent. We recently made a commitment through the 4Afrika Initiative to deliver tens of millions of smart devices into the hands of Africans in the coming years, and every new Windows Phone that becomes available further enables us to deliver on that commitment”.
The Ascend W1 is 10.15 mm thin and features a 4-inch IPS LCD 480 x 800 touchscreen with OGS Technology, powered by the high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 MSM8230 dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and Adreno 305 GPU. With a 1950 mAh battery, the Ascend W1 has 470 hours of standby time, the longest among all smartphones in its class.
It features a visually iconic design inspired by a tropical island and comes in an array of bold colors including blue, red, black and white. The Ascend W1 is a smart and stylish alternative for consumers looking for great technology at a price that is right.
Customers can get the new Huawei Ascend W1 Smartphones in Airtel stores nationwide, as well as Huawei phone distribution outlets.