BenQ readies to conquer Indian mkt

To introduce 20 new models under 'BenQ Siemens' brand, ties up with Salora.

BenQ Mobile, the Taiwanese mobile-phone giant, will be launching around 20 new models under the new 'BenQ-Siemens' brand in March.

The $18-billion giant, which had found the going tough during its first trial in India two years ago, has tied up with the Rs 600-cr Delhi-based distributor, Salora International.

"We will cover the entire arena from monochrome entry-level models to the 3G-enabled smart-phones," said Ish Bawa, BenQ's marketing head for India.

BenQ, one of the biggest producers of mobile-phones both under its own brand as well as for other brands, became one of the top five manufacturers of mobile handsets in the world after its takeover of the German brand last year.

Having failed to garner up the numbers during its first launch, primarily due to lack of breadth in its portfolio, the company had been working to integrate Siemens' technology to bolster its line-up for the past few months.

The tie-up with Salora, which has 25 offices in the country, and the inclusion of the entry-level models is seen as a sign of the importance of the Indian market, one of the fastest growing in the world.

While the company's earlier models all straddled the 'mid-range' space, new introductions will include handsets with features like 2 mega-pixel camera, SD-card slot, and 3G data-capability.

The worldwide introduction of the line-up is scheduled for the 17th of this month.

The company currently has manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, Malaysia and Germany. It has a software development centre in India and currently has no plans of manufacturing in-country.