BEIJING (Aug. 21) XINHUA - Mobile phone producer Capitel Group sold 3.58 million
mobile phones in the first half of the year, ranking No 1 in the country,
according to today's China Daily.
Capitel Group, also named Beijing Telecommunications Equipment Factory, is
benefiting from the booming mobile phone market. It also produces the most Nokia
mobile phones in China.
The Finland-based Nokia, along with Motorola and Ericsson, controls a major
share of China's mobile phone market.
In 1995, Capitel Group and Nokia set up Beijing Nokia Mobile Telecommunications
Co Ltd, Nokia's first joint venture in China. Both sides contributed 50 percent
to what became Nokia's largest production line in China.
Facing a rosy market and a rapid increase in mobile phone subscribers, Capitel's
full-year revenues are expected to be 20 billion yuan, with more than 7 million
phones.
The paper cited He Yaoliang, Capitel's vice-president, as saying that the group
will produce seven types of mobile phones specially designed for Chinese
consumers this year and at least 10 kinds next year.
Capitel plans to produce 500,000 brand-name mobile phones this year and more
than one million next year.
Facing tough competition from around China and abroad, He said, Capitel will
first target players such as NEC and Panasonic, which control less than 5
percent of the Chinese market.
China has 10 domestic mobile phone producers, he noted, but they still cannot
compete easily with foreign firms. |
