The mobile industry has driven the wholesale cost of mobile phones to below US$ 30 as part of the GSM Association (GSMA) programme to make mobile telephony affordable for people in developing countries. This marks the second phase of the programme to "connect the unconnected" and GSMA expects to order six million of these low-cost handsets from Motorola.

The C257 and C261 are the latest of Motorola's slim and stylish handsets, which focus on sophisticated ultra-thin design. These new phones provide a high sense of style and value for mass market consumers. Both models offer a crystal clear TFT display capable of 65,000 colours, MMS and up to 450 minutes of talk time and 250 hours of stand-by. The C257 and C261 also include speakerphone functionality enabling users to engage in conference calls with small groups. In addition, the C261 features a VGA camera to capture images while on the move.