Africell announced the launch of afriphone at AfricaCom 2019 in Cape Town, its first 3G smart feature phone powered by KaiOS mobile operating system for smart feature phones.

According to a statement issued by the company, afriphone will be the first KaiOS-powered device in The Gambia and Sierra Leone, and will also be made available in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The device features 3G connectivity and access to apps including WhatsApp, the Google Assistant, Facebook, YouTube, and Google Maps, as well as unique native content such as the Africell's customer care app.

"Additionally, it includes other smartphone-level features such as Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, and offers a hybrid dual-SIM slot that supports two SIM cards with 512MB memory + 256MB RAM. It also boasts a powerful battery which enables extended hours of talk time," Africell stated.

Ziad Dalloul, Africell Chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Introducing this smart feature phone will help us bring valuable digital services and information to the markets we operate in at a price that people can afford."

KaiOS claims to be third largest mobile operating system worldwide, running on over 100 million devices shipped across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

"We're excited for this brand new KaiOS-powered device from Africell, which will help us continue spreading mobile internet in sub-Saharan Africa," said Sebastien Codeville, chief executive officer of KaiOS Technologies.

"The afriphone will have an immediate impact on people's lives across the region, offering an inexpensive and convenient means of accessing the internet's invaluable resources including education, banking, and healthcare for the first time. We are, and will be continuing our journey to enable a sustainable ecosystem by bringing in relevant apps and services that are designed to benefit people in emerging markets."

In July 2019 KaiOS Technologies announced WhatsApp's availability for download in the KaiStore, on both 512MB and 256MB RAM devices.

According to the companies, by Q3 2019, KaiOS phones will have WhatsApp preinstalled upon shipment.