The iconic Nokia 3310 has made a mind-blowing comeback in today’s Smartphone-dominated telecommunications industry. As the world’s first-ever mobile device model, Nokia 3310 is still known for its hard-to-break and long-lasting features. And preserving this legacy and simultaneously equipping the new 3310 with the latest technology, Finnish brand Nokia looks forward to re-launch the debut mobile phone and win the hearts of its fans and other users.
While the brand is set to re-create history in the world of telecommunications, it has plans to spread everywhere, but Singapore. And there are simple and practical reasons behind this decision.
1. 3310 Manufactures Don’t Want It
In the first place, the brand’s manufacturers don’t want to launch the revamped model in Singapore. Despite increasing buzz among the Smartphone users towards grabbing their nostalgia; the company’s management board have chucked out Singapore from the list of their target markets. Till date, they don’t have any plans for making the model available in the Singapore market.
2. R.I.P. 2G
In 2000, Nokia 3310 was originally based on 2G network, and its new version runs on 2.5G network. And among many other places in the world, Singapore is going to close 2G connections from 1st April 2017. Post then, all 2G models won’t allow users to make calls, send SMS or surf the net. And with such limitations, using the re-created 3310 model won’t make any sense. Thus, the phone is more likely to become incompatible with 3G and 4G networks.
3. Outdated Features
The recent Nokia 3310 comes equipped with web browsing features and 2MP camera. The latest model also preserves the Snake game and Opera browser. However, that’s all to boast about the long legacy model. Besides lacking 3G/4G support, the phone does not possess Wi-Fi, which means, users simply cannot enjoy online browsing like modern Smartphones. And no Wi-Fi means no notifications or updates.
Above all, since the refurbished model is a feature phone; it lacks touch-screen, integrated features and all the engaging experiences that enable users to stick to their hand-held devices for uncountable hours. Comparing its features against those of new-age Smartphones, Nokia 3310 will drastically fail to connect with the users and will witness a sharp decline in their interests, over a short period.
4. Issues with Frequency Support
Another strong reason for withholding launch in the Singapore market is the old bandwidth frequency. The 2000 version of the Nokia device had two bands- 900MHZ and 1800MHZ on GSM network, which was a perfect fit for the then 2G environment. However, with the gradual bend towards 3G and 4G networks, Nokia’s previous frequency support will become inactive, and thus be of no use in the present world of Smartphones.
In fact, the present manufacturer of Nokia 3310, HMD Global are aware of the issues that are more likely to arise from redundant frequency bands and features, which is why they are not considering the country as one of their primary target markets.