Cairo - The agreement gives Silicon 21 — a shareholding company providing technical and logistical support to clients in the Middle East and North Africa — exclusive distribution rights for Nokia "mobility solutions" (software and business handsets) in North and West Africa.
Jarmo Santala, general manager of Nokia North and West Africa, said the agreement is a "new milestone" in the company's regional plan.
"The mobility market is growing in Egypt," he said, "and Silicon 21 will allow us to fully address it."
The new range comprises the N95, N93i and N76 models (the latter being launched now), each of which is an integrated multimedia system offering digital photo and video, music capability including MP3 and radio, and full internet connectivity.
Of the three, the most advanced model is the N95, which, with the model N93i, is due to go on the Egyptian market shortly, and it offers several additional features such as mobile television and a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS).
The launch of the new range was boosted by a demonstration of the models' features, including using the handset's WLan internet connection to load photographs onto an internet file-sharing website immediately after the pictures were taken. The N95's television function was also demonstrated.
Ilkka Raiskinen, Nokia's senior vice president for Multimedia Experiences, says that based on European sales, he expects the Nseries range to be particularly popular with technologically savvy members of the Egyptian community, such as the business community, young professionals and students.
"It has email, texting and calling; you can listen to or watch the news, and you can write and send reports; this is a complete communications device in your pocket," he says.
The company's ultimate aim is to see its products eventually replace the laptop as the instrument of choice of the computer savvy members of the community.
The company has been operating in Egypt for the past 10 years and is currently the mobile phone market leader in the Middle East and North Africa. In Egypt, its share of the market is claimed to be about five times that of its nearest competitor.
The company is still working on developing its bilingual offering and features. Some local radio stations can be received and thus far the company has done a deal with a bilingual Jordanian photo and video sharing web site, has a number of Islamic applications and is currently in negotiations with EMI Music to secure rights to play Arabic music.
