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Intex Technologies, a home-grown maker of mobile handsets, has joined larger rival Micromax in vying for a piece of the Russian market.
The New Delhi-based company, which also manufactures computer peripherals, is to begin exporting to Russia in the next few months, said Keshav Bansal, Director-Marketing (Mobile Phones).
“We are in the middle of identifying a local partner for the Russian venture. Russia is a mature market with high purchasing power, and hence we will only focus on smartphones there in the initial phase,” Bansal told Business Line .
Once the company stabilises in Russia, it would go after the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.
All indications are that Intex may push its high-end Andorid–based smartphones, from its ‘Aqua’ and ‘Cloud’ range to Russia.
Analysts said that Russia offers Indian handset-makers the opportunity to improve the margin of their business.
According to a study by Moscow-based mobile retail chain Svyaznoy, smartphone sales in Russia grew by 51 percent in 2013, to 18.5 million units. Sales volume jumped by 35 percent to RUB 176 billion (₹30,800 crore), the study noted.
In January, Micromax had announced the launch of its Russia operations in partnership with distribution company, VVP Group. The company had said it would be launching the 14 ‘Bolt’ and ‘Canvas’ series smartphones in the initial phase.
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