Bird to roll out 10 new GSM handsets

The company is also understood to be in talks with Reliance Infocomm for providing CDMA mobile handsets.

Representatives from the company said the target consumers in India will predominantly be those who wanted to buy handsets in the band of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, the largest and fastest growing segment in India. The company had earlier introduced four models in India at the sub-Rs 4000 range.

Bird has also announced plans to set up a dedicated centre in Bangalore to develop software for its handsets. The company is also in talks with the cellular service providers in the country for bundling of handset with their services.

Jean Alexis Chatelain, director, Bird International said, "We expect to sell around 35,000 units in India before the end of 2003. In 2004 we expect to sell two to three lakh units."

Bird International is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with an annual turnover of $845 million. The company currently has carved out a 16 per cent share in the Chinese mobile handset market.

Chatelain said, though China is the largest market, the growth rate was higher in India. Commenting on the late entry of the company in India, Bird officials said the Chinese market was too big to lose focus and invest elsewhere in the world. "We plan to make for the time lost by focussing on the price front."

The recently introduced models from Bird includes the S288 model, the slimmest mobile handset in the world.

This model, among its important features includes remote access of SMS and missed call list from any other handset of any other make.

The distribution of handsets will be handled by Agrani Convergence of Essel Group. The distribution plan includes opening of 1,000 stores in India by 2008. At present, 50 stores across the country sell Bird mobile handsets.