4: Chapter 4 Luxury Security Charter Flight

"It means a massive market!" Li Qing suddenly covered his mouth. It was as if...

"Exactly." Shen Fei nodded. "Second, what kind of devices are international brands like Nokia and Motorola selling in Africa?"

"They're all old models phased out in Europe, America, or China." Liu Fang from the Procurement Department immediately chimed in.

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Chen Hai also nodded: "We've dismantled a few before; they were all models from two or three years ago, not even as good as the knock-off phones in China."

"Third, have these phones been optimized for African users?"

Everyone fell silent, lowering their heads to ponder the question... Even in the vast Chinese market, those people didn't bother with adaptations, let alone in the even more underdeveloped Africa.

After all, those companies were best at making users adapt to them.

"None." Shen Fei began his self-questioning and answering mode, aiming to get everyone to accept his ideas both mentally and in practice.

This would be of great help for the work ahead.

"They are just clearing their inventory into Africa. Poor signal, few communication base stations—they don't care. Difficult charging, frequent power outages in Africa—they don't care either. Photography results... Africans have darker skin tones, and photos turn out pitch black—they care even less."

Shen Fei stood up and walked to the projector screen: "This is our opportunity."

"What Transsion is going to do next is create a phone truly designed for African users."

Every word Shen Fei spoke struck a chord in their hearts: "Ultra-long standby time, at least 5 to 10 days on a single charge. Enhanced signal, capable of making calls even in remote areas. Photography optimization—the goal is to let the 'leeks' in Africa take clear portraits.

Since there are few base stations but many carriers, we'll implement dual-SIM and Quad-SIM functionality to meet all their requirements."

The conference room fell silent, and everyone was deep in thought.

Chen Hai was the first to react. This was even more detailed than what President Shen had told him yesterday; it was simply a brand-new development approach.

Most importantly, this wasn't nonsense; it was practical. As long as they solved these pain points, they would be the true Kings of Africa. This was practically the 'rural areas encircling the cities' strategy for the mobile phone market...

"Young... President Shen, the battery technology you mentioned yesterday..."

"It's already being negotiated." Shen Fei lied without changing his expression: "Their technology is just one step away; it should be ready by the first quarter of next year."

"Additionally, some friends of mine have contacted engineers who left Huawei; they can help us optimize the antenna design. As for photography algorithms, once we have money, we'll collaborate with university labs... Those unpaid 'workhorses' are cheaper, and we might even be able to recruit them to our company."

In reality, all of this would rely on the System, but he had to give everyone confidence first.

"Workhorses..." The group paused for a moment, but realized their own college lives were indeed like that.

They quickly returned to the discussion. Liu Fang frowned and tentatively asked: "What about the price? Can African users afford it?"

"There are rich people everywhere. No matter how cheap it is, those who can't afford it still won't be able to. So, our target retail price is 30 to 50 USD." Shen Fei stated a figure.

"What?" Wang Zhigang exclaimed. "At that price... it won't even cover the cost. Our cheapest model right now costs about 35 USD."

"That's why we need optimization." Shen Fei looked at Chen Hai. "Engineer Chen, if we use the lowest-end chips and the smallest screen size, remove the camera, and only keep basic calling and texting functions, what can we get the cost down to?"

Chen Hai quickly calculated. After the conversation, he had considered such a plan: "If the volume is high, we can push it down to 20 USD. If we become a major client for MediaTek, we can get a few extra percentage points in rebates on the chips, which will be our profit. We should be able to push it down to about 18 USD at the lowest, but in that case, photography optimization would..."

"Prepare multiple versions and gradually test the market." Shen Fei made the decision.

"Including various miscellaneous expenses, let's estimate the cost of the basic version at 25 USD, and we'll sell it for 30 USD—a loss-leader strategy. For the standard version, we'll add a camera and music playback features, compress the cost to around 30 USD, and sell it for 50 USD..."

He looked at everyone: "The life or death of Transsion is gambled on this battle. For those willing to follow me, I, Shen Fei, will not treat you unfairly. If anyone has doubts, you can leave now, and your severance pay will be issued as usual."

No one moved. A few seconds later, Li Qing was the first to raise his hand: "President Shen, the Marketing Department guarantees the mission will be accomplished."

"The Production Department guarantees delivery."

"The Procurement Department guarantees the supply chain. We will squeeze every last cent we can out of MediaTek."

Shen Fei took a deep breath: "Good, all departments, take action immediately. One week from now, after we finish surveying the market, I want to see detailed plans."

...

Three days later, Guangzhou Bao'an International Airport.

A Boeing 737 cargo plane was being loaded. Due to time constraints, this flight carried a batch of stock from the Transsion T100 series, as well as some spare parts and a large amount of repair tools.

Shen Fei brought a 15-person inspection team, including Chen Hai, Li Qing, 7 engineers, and four translators. In addition to that, there was a very luxurious security detail of 40 people.

"President Shen, everything is ready." Li Qing walked over. "We found a distributor in Nigeria through friends, and they've agreed to send people to pick us up at the airport."

Shen Fei nodded. This time, he was dressed in simple casual wear and wearing sunglasses. He didn't look at all like the playboy he was before; he looked like a solid businessman.

But in reality, for safety, he had chartered the entire plane and hired a professional security team to provide protection for the whole journey. He dared not take the security situation in Africa lightly, nor did he dare to gamble...

As for where the money would come from, that would be left to Huang Tianya. After all, the economic crisis was a huge risk for the average person, but for him, it was an opportunity—an opportunity with no secrets.

He just wondered if he could take this opportunity to earn a few billion USD and acquire 50% of Huawei's terminal business. Of course, that was a matter for another time.

"Where is Engineer Chen?" "He's in the back checking the equipment." Li Qing lowered his voice: "President Shen, aren't we being too adventurous this time? Nigeria... I heard it's not very safe. For you to go personally, isn't the risk a bit too high? You should leave such matters to us."

"That's why I brought security," Shen Fei said very calmly. "As for me... I've learned quite a few things over these years. This time, risk and opportunity coexist, and I must go. If we can break through in Nigeria, half of the entire West African market will be won."

He looked out the window. China in 2008 was on the eve of rapid development, and the coming era held great promise. But Africa remained a forgotten continent.

Yet, it was this very continent that would become a billion-level mobile internet market in the future, and Transsion would be its developer and the biggest winner.

[System Task: Open a new battlefield, accepted] [Countdown: 177 days 23 hours 59 minutes]