The phones were launched in Kampala by the minister of Information and ICT Chris Baryomunsi and minister of State for Trade, Industries and Cooperatives David Bahati where the two ministers said the phones being locally assembled will help lower the cost of smartphones which is still a barrier to mobile phone penetration in the country.
The government in the National Development Plan (NDP III) planned to reduce the unit cost of low-end smartphones from Shs 100,000 to Shs 60,000.
“One of the challenges we still have is that smart devices are expensive. But the target we have set as a ministry is that in the next one year, we should have a smartphone that costs Shs 40,000 and we are doing all it takes to put in place the necessary measures to arrive at that,” Baryomunsi said.
He noted that at the East Africa regional level where they are coordinated as ministers of ICT, they are moving together engaging technology companies, persuading and attracting them to assemble and manufacture phones and other smart devices from within the region as this will in turn cut the cost of these devices for the final consumer.
“We are also reviewing the taxation regime so that we can see whether we can either reduce or eliminate tax barriers so that the prices of smart devices can continue coming down,” he added.
Ben Yu, managing director of Mione said the launch of these phones marks a significant stride in aligning with the government’s goal to enable millions of Ugandans to adopt technology and achieve greater accomplishments in life.
“These devices are a result of thorough research, cutting-edge technology and a profound comprehension of our users’ changing requirements. The phones are a testament to our commitment to affordability without compromising on quality. It is a smartphone that elevates and empowers users with essential smart features and functions giving them a new experience of connectivity, a new way to capture and celebrate the fun world around them and share with friends and family,” Yu said.
Yu also revealed that the company which kicked off its operations in Uganda early last year will in the next two to three years going to focus on expanding to cover other countries within the East Africa Community (EAC).
“Last year we invested more than $10 million, but this year we are going to invest more because we need more production lines so that we can produce enough devices to cover other countries in the EAC,” said Yu.
The Mione smartphones come in two variations; the Mione Joy 9 with a storage capacity of 128 GB ROM and 6 GB RAM, 50 MP triple rear camera and 16 MP selfie camera and a 5000mAh battery and the Mione U1 which has a storage capacity of 256 GB ROM plus 12 GB RAM, 108 MP double rear camera and 16 MP selfie camera and a 5000mAh battery.
On the local market, the Joy 9 costs Shs 399,000 while the U1 costs Shs 520,000. Apart from smartphones, Mione also assembles smart tablets and feature phones and last year sold half a million feature phones in Uganda.
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