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Egypt launched its first Egyptian made smartphone, the Nile X, manufactured in partnership with China. While the makers plan to enter African markets, the economically priced devices are likely to help women combat harassment.
A study by UN Women reveals nearly 99.3 percent of Egyptian women have suffered sexual harassment. And around 91 percent of them do not feel safe on the streets.
Another study conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights claimed that 86 percent of the male respondents in Egypt who were interviewed admitted their involvement in harassing women.
In a bid to escape gender-based violence, Egypt is witnessing a surge in the use of women safety apps. In recent months, women are using apps like Harrassmap, Ushahidi, StreetPal, Rescue, IProtect and many others to ensure their safety on the streets.
Egyptian protesters hold up placards and shout slogans during a demonstration in Cairo against sexual harassment on February 12, 2013.
The country also launched a "Pink Taxi" exclusively for female passengers to ensure their safety during transit. Only women drivers drive the pink taxi.
In Egypt, there's a continuous rise of women who have access to mobile phones, with nearly 85 percent of the female population now owning phones. However, only 13 percent of them have Internet access. A joint report from the Cherie Blair Foundation and GSMA Development found that 93 percent of women felt safer having a mobile phone.
Egypt’s Nile X is likely to boost mobile Internet access among women, with its pricing of 112 US dollars.
Fairly priced handsets
SICO Technology, a company affiliated with the country's Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, in collaboration with Chinese companies are manufacturing the devices.
According to Mohamed Abel Azim, company’s marketing manager, the phone is 55 percent assembled in SICO’s factory, and nearly 45 percent of the components are manufactured in China.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi unveiled the locally manufactured cell phone during a ceremony at the 20th Information Communication and Technology Conference in Cairo.
Both the government and SICO have made an investment of 22.5 million US dollars to construct five production lines based in Egypt’s Silicon Valley Assiut that will produce 1.8 million cell phones annually.
Despite being the first indigenous cell phone, Nile X is equipped with all the latest features. The phone comes with a 13-megapixel dual camera, fingerprint sensor, 4GB RAM, 64 GB storage, 5.7 HD display and Android 7.0 Nougat and 4G technology.
Egypt has tremendous potential for the smartphone market, a Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics' (CAPMAS) survey claims only 22.1 percent of Egyptian families own smartphones, and 88.1 percent of families own mobile phones.
The strategic geographical location of Egypt in Africa and proximity to Asia further makes SICO a favorable hub to expand its business in African countries in future. The company intends to establish an East African regional center in Nairobi and extend its reach to Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the company recently announced that a shipment of 15,000 batteries was stolen while on its way to Assiut. The theft has forced the company to extend the phone distribution plant by nearly a fortnight.
(CGTN)
