The Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN) has announced plans to showcase the best of mobile innovation at the Phone Expo Nigeria 2014 (PEN 2014) planned to gather the Nigerian mobile ecosystem next December in Lagos.

Mr. Iyke Nwosu, chairman of PAPDAN, announced in Lagos, that the influential trade group of phone dealers in the country would leverage PEN 2014 to bring the best in mobile handsets, devices and technologies “under one roof for the benefits of Nigerian consumers.”

PEN 2014 produced by Technology Times Events will feature exhibitions of latest mobile technologies and co-locate unique events at the annual gathering of the Nigerian mobile ecosystem.

PEN 2014, which takes place December 2-6, 2014 under the theme, “Next Frontiers of Connected Nigeria” will hold at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka in Yaba, Lagos.

The chairman of PAPDAN commended the PEN 2014 initiative saying that it will offer members of the association a platform to connect directly with consumers.

“We also believe that PEN 2014 will enable PAPDAN to promote the mission of the association to promote the interest of Nigerian mobile consumers”, Mr. Nwosu said.

Market information by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows growing telephony subscriptions reached 33,282,003 active lines and 94.42% teledensity across the country by August 2014.

Within the same period, Nigeria also recorded 72,566,791 Internet subscribers, according to the telecommunications industry regulator.

The Chairman of PAPDAN said that the association has become a critical catalyst in the growing mobile telephony ecosystem in Nigeria.

PAPDAN, headquartered in Ikeja Computer Village, Nigeria’s biggest technology market, now has over 5000 members employing more than 25,000 people across the mobile value chain, Mr. Nwosu said.

According to the chairman of PAPDAN, in Computer Village alone, members of the body recorded in excess of four million units of monthly sales of diverse handsets and devices to consumers coming from across states in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

“PAPDAN has been crucial to the growth of the mobile telephony market in Nigeria as our members were the first to introduce dual-SIM phones. The big brands were cynical at the time but they are all now playing catch-up to gain market share in the country”, Mr. Nwosu added.

Commenting further, he said that, “when we introduced dual-SIM phones, people were laughing but you can see that today, a lot of the established brands are also playing catch-up”

Mr. Nwosu said that insights gained from mobile phone market trends in Nigeria show that consumers needs and preference continue to grow for latest technologies and innovative products.

“One factor that drives everybody is pricing. The market is highly price-dependent and driven but consumers still want phones with lots of functionalities. Most of the consumers are looking for cheap phones and brands within the N5000 to N15000 price range are the market leaders that we have seen”, the PAPDAN chairman explained.

He said that consumer preferences are also shifting towards Android devices that “allow them to do a lot of things” while there is increasing demand for bigger screens that allow them to watch videos on the devices.

Based on market insights, the PAPDAN chairman said that consumers still ask for established global brands but several relatively newer players are recording impressive performance in Nigeria because they bundle good features and also compete on “good price points.”

According to him, brands that have been able to fit into the “affordable” device segments of the Nigerian market include Tecno, Gionee, Maxtel, G-Tide, Gowin, M-Horse, among others due to compete features and pricings.

Mr. Nwosu of PAPDAN said that Nokia is witnessing a Nigeria market rebound as the number one in the device market with growing demand for its cheaper phones like the Nokia X, which bundles Windows Phone and Android OS.

According to him, “Nokia is now doing very well and has become number one because most of their sales are coming from the low-end phones.”

Tecno is considered number two in the mobile device segment because the brand fits very well within the affordable phones category ahead of Samsung, he said.

According to him, Samsung is number three and has gained market traction with an aggressive marketing and introduction of new brands.

Mr. Nwosu believed that Gionee ranks fourth in Nigeria driven by price advantages, features and local “market consistency.”

He added that, “PAPDAN activities in the areas of combating counterfeiting has increased consumer confidence and that is part of the message that we are bring to the PEN 2014 Show.”

PAPDAN has prevailed on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to improve on the standards of phones shipped into Nigeria and establish Service Centres to provide support to consumers, he added.

“So far, PAPDAN has registered 46 brands that have met the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) standards for certification and packaging”, the Chairman of PAPDAN said.

Mr Shina Badaru, founder/group CEO of Technology Times Media Limited, producers of PEN 2014 Show said the partnership with CAPDAN aligns with the vision to create the nation’s largest marketplace of the Nigerian Mobile Ecosystem where attendees will learn about the latest technologies and market trends.

“More importantly the partnership with an influential trade group like PAPDAN will let us connect buyers and sellers under the same for five exciting days to discover and own new technologies”, according to Mr. Badaru.

He added that, “PEN 2014 will gather the mobile ecosystem across Nigeria, Africa and beyond to showcase, learn and share ideas about the next frontiers in technologies, innovation, solutions and services for today’s Connected Nigeria.

According to him, the PEN 2014 Show will bring attendees in contacts with the industry ecosystem players like: