Threatened by competitors gobbling up the market share in India, Nokia is planning to aggressively launch 40 cell phone models — 12 of them smartphones — in 2011.
“We will be launching 40 models in 2011 of which at least 30% would be smartphones,” a Nokia executive close to the development told HT. It is learnt that Nokia is looking at launching entertainment as well business smartphones in India.
Globally, Nokia has been facing tough competition from the likes of Apple and Blackberry for smartphones. In India too, IDC figures indicate a fall in Nokia’s market share, though the company does not agree with these figures.
D Shivakumar, vice president and managing director of Nokia India, said things will hot up after mid-April. “On an average Nokia launches about 40 phones in a year across all categories,” he said.Nokia recently tied up with Microsoft and will launch a smart phone based on the Windows 7 platform within a year. It is expected that the phone will be launched simultaneously in India, one of the biggest markets of the Finnish firm. Nokia that works on the Symbian platform, has been finding Google’s Android phones a tough nut to crack.
In India — as all over the world — Apple’s iPhone and Blackberry have increased their market share over the last two years in the smart phone category, say industry experts.
{{/usCountry}}In India — as all over the world — Apple’s iPhone and Blackberry have increased their market share over the last two years in the smart phone category, say industry experts.
{{/usCountry}}Nokia would be launching more models (12) in the smart phone category just to retain an upper hand. The price range is not known, but the sheer number of models is likely to be greater than both the major competitors put together for the current year.