The Hindu Business Line : i-Mate to target mass market thru global campaign

Chennai March 14 i-Mate India, wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai-based smart phone and pocket PC maker i-Mate, plans to ramp up its market share through a campaign planned for next fiscal (2007-08).

The company will introduce 10 new handset models between April and July, including its `Ultimate' range showcased at the recent GSM Conference in Barcelona. It recently introduced the i-Mate PDAL mid-range device with full functionality of a pocket PC.

"We want to grow by four times next fiscal. To do that we will expose the market to more variety of our phones," said Mr Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, i-Mate India, in Chennai recently.

At present i-Mate has about 10 per cent share of the 2-lakh units market consisting of smart phone, pocket PCs and hand held devices with Windows Mobile software.

Today, over 10 i-Mate handset models are available priced between Rs 17,000 and a little over Rs 40,000. Besides providing Windows Mobile features such as access to MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel, the company also provides free e-mail access.

Tie-up planned

To improve product visibility, the company is in talks with a leading telecom operator for distribution. Until now, it sold handsets through distributors. "We are looking at a separate tie up for the new models to be launched this year. This will enable the phones to have network settings and call centre access," said Mr Mohindroo. The tie up will also give i-Mate access to the telecom company's subscriber base to pitch for sales.

The company is also moving away from its focus on `Product Intelligence' in marketing campaigns. "We want to reach out to the small and medium enterprises space," said Mr Mohindroo.

A global campaign targeted at mass markets will be rolled out next fiscal, he said. Additionally i-Mate India also plans to have road shows in six cities across India to educate small businesses how mobility can help them.

The company has manufacturing units in Taiwan and China and there are no plans to set up one in India, he said.

More Stories on : Market Shares | Telecommunications

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page