(Indian) CDMA handset war begins before rollout of services
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2002 01:37:12 AM ]
HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the plain vanilla voice services currently available on the platform, the seduction game in the CDMA handset market has begun in right earnest with the kick-off, mainly between the Korean chaebols Samsung and LG.
LG has already announced the launch of its 3G 1X models while Samsung will be doing so on Saturday next when Reliance Infocom too is expected to announce the launch of its basic services, though to what kind and extent of services is still a subject of speculation.
However, the handset war seems to have begun even before the service offerings are known. Even the pricing for the handsets sought to be pedaled by the two chaebols is not yet clear.
But the objects on display are definitely desirable what with some of the most promising features like 16 and 40 poly sound, 12 line displays and broadband capabilities to boot.
For instance, while LG already has one 3G 1X handset, the basic model DM160 already in the market at a price of Rs 6,949 with Tata Teleservices voice services, it launched two more models the RD2030 and RD7130, both of which it says are are Java-enabled and can support gaming and toher value added services and one of them has a telephone directory that can support up to 1,000 entries.
According to LG, these handsets woulds be available through the service providers. But talk to the service providers and they will tell you the subscribers will have to wait for quite a while before they will be able to use many of these features and as such they may not be willing to offer these snazzy gizmos till the value added services themselves are available for use. “We are providing the basic model only as of today and there is plan as yet to add the other up-market models,” said a Tata Indocom official.
Tata Teleservices is offering Kyocera and LG handsets while Reliance is understood to have opted for LG and Samsung.
According to some market sources some of the up market handsets being tested by the service providers cost between Rs 32,000 and Rs 48,000.
According to LG officials the company has worked out a $100 million handset deal with Reliance while it has to date supplied 600,000 handsets to MTNL, BSNL and Tata Teleservices and plans to pump in $5 million into marketing its new handsets.
However, another stumbling block for the use of these hi-tech gadgets is the networks themselves which will have to retune their switches and upgrade capacities to enable value added services apart from getting a host of regulatory approvals.
It is thus anybody’s guess when the subscribers would be able to see the attractive features operate on these handsets.
economictimes.indiatimes.com
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LOL! NOK is going to get smoked!
Nokia launches CDMA handsets
SANJAY AND TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2002 12:24:48 AM ]
NEW DELHI: After holding back for more than a couple of years, Nokia, the world's
largest maker of mobile phones, has launched CDMA (code division multiple access)
handsets in India. CDMA, a wireless standard for mobile services, is being used by basic
phone companies to provide mobile wireless in local loop WLL) services.
Nokia officials confirmed that they have entered the CDMA handset market on Thursday,
as a supplier to Tata Teleservices, which also has tied up for handsets with companies
like LG and Kyocera.
"We have launched the 6385 model on Thursday," said Sanjeev Sharma, MD, Nokia India.
"We will introduce two more products next month," he added.
Sharma said Nokia 6385 will retail at about Rs 8,500, while the new models 3585 and
8280 are expected to be in the Rs 8,000-9,000 and Rs 10,000-11,000 range.
The first Nokia consignment (about 4,000-5,000 handsets) is meant for Delhi, although
the handsets will be provided to Tata's other telecom circles as well.
India has about 4 lakh WLL subscribers and the CDMA handset market is dominated by
Korean majors like LG, Samsung and Hyundai, which offer cheaper rates than Nokia's. LG
handset for Tata Teleservices is priced at about Rs 7,500 and Kyocera, at Rs 7,000.
Sharma said, however, that Nokia considers India to be value conscious rather than a
price-sensitive market. Besides, he said that the company's wait and watch approach in
India was based on small volumes. "The CDMA market is warming up only now," he said.
Nokia will offer handsets only through WLL service operators (like Tatas) as is the
practice in the global markets and is being done in India by other handset manufacturers.
Sharma said it would be difficult to project the WLL handset market size in India.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
More expensive and inferior... a killer combination. LOL! |
