New Delhi-based Longtel Technology Pvt Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Longtel Communication Technology Ltd, a mobile handset manufacturer based out of Shenzen (China), is looking to tap the entry level mobile handset market in India in a big way.
Longtel, which has rolled out 15 models of low-end mobile phones, customized for the India market in the competitive price range of Rs 1400-Rs 3500, aims to sell 50,000 units per month from January 2011.
"The market for mobile handsets in India is buoyant and there is a huge potential at the entry level which we are looking to tap in a big way through our cheap models in the price range of Rs 1400-3500. These models are equipped with features that are superior to other brands in that price range. Even our entry level phone (E15) has features like battery backup of four days, camera, MP3 player and torch light”, Romi Thapar, business head, Longtel Technology Pvt Ltd told Business Standard.
"The market for mobile handsets in the country stands at 13 million handsets per month and it is expected to touch around 18 million by 2012. As a manufacturer, we believe that we have a natural edge over many other competitors in the market”, he added.
Longtel India currently has a presence in 10 states- Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Orissa. It is looking to foray into other states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand by the end of January 2011.The mobile handset maker is also focusing on after sales service. “We have set up 83 service centres across the country so far and we intend to ramp it up to 250 by March 2011”, said Thapar.Besides marketing its own brand, Longtel is also manufacturing handsets for other brands.
"Presently, we are the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for other small mobile brands in India like Funny, Mobil and Sun Sky. While Funny brand operates in Punjab and Haryana Sun Sky operates in Assam. The Mobil brand has a presence in 10 states of the country. We want to expand out OEM range further”, he stated.
In the Orissa market, the company aims to cover 12 major towns by the end of December and have a network of over 1200 sales points.
