Alcatel yesterday launched its new One Touch cellphone range locally, introducing three new ranges aimed at shifting its focus to the high-end market.
The 300, 500 and 700 One Touch phones reflect the company`s belief that there will be worldwide saturation of cellphone users, and Alcatel says it wants to offer an upgrade path when that happens.
The 300 is described as a "high tier" prepaid offering, while the 302 makes the leap into low-end contract territory. The 302 supports Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), even though the phone is aimed at casual rather than business users.
"We have always seen WAP as a consumer service and not only as a business service," says Alcatel country manager Corrie Liebenberg. "We believe there is a place for it throughout the market."
The 500 series, available later in the year, is aimed at fashion-conscious and intensive users, while the 700 is targeted squarely at the business market, with dictaphone and organiser functions.
A new range of 700s, due in the first quarter of next year, is to support WAP over general packet radio service (GPRS) and Bluetooth, the wire-replacement service for short distance device communication.
"The new range gives us the ideal springboard to enter the contract market," says Liebenberg. "Up until recently, we concentrated purely on the prepaid market in SA."
Alcatel claims it has increased its prepaid penetration from 2.5% to 10% and Liebenberg says this share will be maintained, but that the new focus is on higher-end offerings.
"We will see a drop-off in new subscribers at some stage. We are saying that if you had an Alcatel prepaid phone, we will offer you a better version to move up into."
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