Microsoft, Huawei Go After African Market With New Windows Phone

Huawei and Microsoft on Tuesday introduced a Windows Phone model aimed specifically at the African market.

The Huawei 4Afrika is a variant of the Chinese phone maker’s Ascend W1 introduced earlier this year. But along with that phone’s four-inch screen, four gigabytes of storage and dual-core chip, the new phone will include custom apps crated by African developers for that continent’s consumers.

It’s part of a broader effort by Microsoft to create products for the African market.

“We believe there has never been a better time to invest in Africa and that access to technology — particularly cloud services and smart devices — can and will serve as a great accelerator for African competitiveness,” Microsoft International President Jean-Philippe Courtois said in a statement.