Jazz, Kistpay to provide smartphones on installments

ISLAMABAD: Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator and a part of VEON Group, has signed an agreement with Kistpay, a Shariah-compliant financing platform, to bring smartphones to its consumers on easy installment plans, a statement said.

This collaboration will offer easy installment-based and Shariah-compliant financing instruments to encourage more middle- and low-income people to own a smartphone, it added.

Starting as low as Rs2,243/month, the customers can buy smartphones using either the three-month plan or the six-month plan by visiting the nearest Jazz experience centre.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Asif Aziz, chief commercial officer of Jazz, said: “This partnership is an extremely important step towards achieving our 4G for All vision. Owning a smartphone is a key enabler of the digital economy and this joint initiative will improve the buying ability of unserved and underserved communities by providing installment-based financing options to purchase smartphones.”

Asif Jafri, chief executive officer (CEO) of Kistpay, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Jazz again to provide ease of access and ownership of smartphones to all our countrymen, including the youth and women. We are confident that this alliance will boost the digital economic growth and empower our rural communities.”

Julian Gorman, head of Asia-Pacific, GSMA, also witnessed the signing ceremony virtually and lauded the efforts of both organisations to help address the device affordability barrier in Pakistan.

While the affordability of smartphones remains a key barrier to mobile ownership and mobile internet adoption, particularly for women and rural populations, Jazz has taken various initiatives to expand the benefits of mobile broadband, especially among the low-income segments in Pakistan.