M-Horse 101 mobile telephone, 2008-2012

Made:
2008-2012 in Dubai

M-Horse 101 mobile phone with spaces for two SIM cards and arabic lettering on keys, made to imitate a Nokia phone, manufactured by M-Horse, possibly Dubai, 2008-2012. With headphones and original packaging.

M-Horse 101 mobile phone with spaces for two SIM cards and Arabic lettering on keys, made to imitate a Nokia phone, manufactured by M-Horse, possibly Dubai, 2008-2012.

Purchased in Cameroon in 2012, this mobile phone is a counterfeit designed to resemble the popular Nokia handset. Low cost counterfeit phones were popular in many developing countries in the 2010s, despite being of variable quality, as they were much cheaper than authentic models. This example has two SIM slots, a desirable and common feature in Cameroon at the time as network coverage was often patchy so the ability to access more than one network was useful. The phones that arrived in Cameroon typically came via China or Dubai, and as a result were known colloquially as ‘Chinese’ phones.

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
2013-166
Materials:
metal (unknown), plastic (unidentified) and electronic components
Measurements:
original box: 90 mm x 130 mm x 56 mm,
headphones (coiled): 81 mm x 46 mm x 10 mm,
phone: 104 mm x 43 mm x 14 mm,
type:
mobile telephone
credit:
Museum Purchase

Parts