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While the T105 priced at below Rs 5,000 will be in the Indian market soon, the remaining three models priced at below Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively will be launched in the fourth quarter of the year.

New Delhi , Sept. 3

GIVEN the sudden upsurge in the domestic cellular subscriber base, Sony Ericsson has identified India as the fastest growing market in the Asia Pacific region and seeks to ramp up its portfolio as well as reach across the country.

According to Mr Bjorn Almqvist, General Manager — South Asia, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International, while the rest of the Asian markets have stagnated as far as "first-time mobile users is concerned, they are growing in as far as the replacement market goes. However, India is growing in both the segments simultaneously, which provides a tremendous opportunity for the company to leverage its strengths and expand its presence."

He noted that although not being in the CDMA market, unlike its competitors Nokia, Motorola and Samsung , could prove to be a disadvantage one of the main strength lay in the fact that the company was focused on the GSM market. This would stand it in good stead, he said.

"Sony Ericsson already is among the top four mobile vendors in the country, and as the market expands it hopes to improve its position by introducing its latest portfolio of products, making them available to the domestic customers, at exactly the same time that they are available worldwide. For now, we intend to introduce four models which will interest the value-driven, yet design and style-oriented Indian customers," he told Business Line.

Mr Almqvist, noted that the four models include the entry-level T105 as well as T230, Z200 and Z600 models. While the T105 priced at below Rs 5,000 will be in the Indian market soon, the remaining three models priced at below Rs 10,000, Rs 15000 and Rs 20,000 respectively will be launched in the fourth quarter of the year.

Mr Sudhin Mathur, General Manager, India branch, noted that the T105 was an entry-level phone and had been specifically designed for the Asia- Pacific region, targeting its strong lower priced segments.

"The company pioneered the colour-screening GSM mobile phone market and now has a strong diverse portfolio of imaging, gaming and entertainment phones, to which the T230 is a strong addition in the entry-level segment.

With a bright colour screen, polyphonic sound and navigation specially designed for ease of use and mobile game play, the T230 is a fun phone," he said.

Mr Mathur also pointed out that combining a rich 4000 colour screen and 40 tone polyphonic sound with exchangeable front panels, the Z200 is targeted at the youth, as well as design and style conscious adults.

The handset is a clamshell phone and offers several personalisation features such as full colour wallpaper and ring tones that can be tailored to fit any mood or style.

The Z600 is also a clamshell phone with complete imaging and messaging capabilities.

It also features an integrated camera and colour screen, he said.

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