Fornebu ( BMZ REPORT )
Grameenphone customers in Bangladesh can now get their hands on a Firefox phone, priced at less than US$ 60. This marks the first joint release of Mozilla’s low-cost, open web smartphones by a mobile operator in Asia.
The phone, called GoFox F15, is developed by Symphony, the leading mobile phone brand in Bangladesh. Its low price-point of less than US$ 60 opens up the market to new smartphone users, introducing them to mobile data services for the first time. The GoFox phone comes loaded with the new WowBox service from Telenor Digital, designed to get customers on the internet right away free of charge. All they have to do is visit the phone’s marketplace and the WowBox awards them with 20 MB of free data per day.
“We want more customers to experience mobile services on smartphones. By stimulating the Mozilla developer community to create more locally relevant apps coupled with Telenor’s WowBox service, we expect to see increase internet uptake and usage in Bangladesh,” says Vivek Sood, CEO of Grameenphone.
Telenor has been cooperating with Mozilla since 2012, when it became an active participant in a community of operators working together to develop the Firefox OS. Firefox OS devices can now be found in a total of 23 countries, including Bangladesh.
“This launch was made possible through the cooperation between Grameenphone, Telenor, Mozilla and Symphony,” says Rolv-Erik Spilling, SVP and Head of Telenor Digital.
“For us, it’s important to provide the Bangladeshi market with an easy, affordable and locally relevant mobile internet experience, which the Firefox phone enables.”
With Mozilla’s open web platform, development for Firefox phones is in the hands of many, which ultimately enriches the experience for the customer.
“We are happy to partner with Grameenphone, the leading operator in Bangladesh, to bring Firefox OS phones to more users in Asia. Telenor’s ‘Internet for All’ strategy is well-aligned with Mozilla’s mission for Firefox OS – promoting openness, innovation and opportunity online,” says Dr. Andreas Gal, CTO in Mozilla.
For further information, please contact:
Atle Lessum, Head of Communication Telenor Group Strategy & Digital, al@telenor.com, (+47) 415 05 645