LG Electronics at CeBIT
<< I was also disappointed in the output from CeBIT. Motorola and Sony Ericsson revealed their handsets before the show. ... >>
Motorola's been doing that. Reveal early to avoid the rush.
Samsung snuck the WCDMA SGH-Z105 out early as well, and Siemens announced they would only be coming to market with the previously announced Motorola based U15. I can't figure out if LG Electronics announced anything other than the previously announced LG U8150 and LG U8100 or not, but I don't think they did. I have clipped one article below on LGE at CeBIT.
Here's one of the Samsung models press Announcements out of Cannes:
mobil.idnes.cz
<< it seems that Nokia has decided to reveal their handsets much closer to the actual launch date. >>
I think that is part of Nokia's thinking. They have been stretching out a bit, and particularly with 3GSM I think they (and the carriers) would like to surprise with some sexy and near term deliverables.
I do think this is a caution signal, however. I think there will be quite a few launches H2. There will probably be a fair selection of subscriber equipment, but I think we may well be into 2005 before we see meaningful selection and volume. That is kind of the way it was with GPRS.
Meanwhile, here is a clip on LG Electronics who should be commercially delivering 3GSM WCDMA product before too long.
>> LG Set for Aggressive Expansion in Europe
Kim Sung-mi
Korea Herald
2004.03.22
koreaherald.co.kr
LG Electronics Inc. is set to take advantage of the CeBIT 2004 tech fair to expand its presence in Europe, showcasing its high-end flat-panel displays and mobile devices at the world's largest electronics and telecommunications exhibition in Hannover, Germany.
The Korean electronics giant demonstrates its world-class technologies and designs with its emphasis brought to plasma displays, liquid-crystal displays, latest 3G mobile phone models and megapixel camera phones.
"The CeBIT is the festival of technologies and IT marketing not only for Europe but also for the rest of the world. As we demonstrate our sophisticated technological prowess and product and design power in handsets, flat-panel displays and media, we will endeavor to enhance our global brand recognition and maximize sales in Europe," said Park Mun-hwa, president of LGE's Telecommunication Equipment & Handset Company, at the week-long fair in Hanover.
At the 2,700-square-meter LGE booths, the 76-inch PDP and 55-inch liquid-crystal display televisions are LGE's top marketing items, along with CDMA- and GSM-compatible color phones and chic 270-degree rotating camera phones tailored for third-generation multimedia high-speed data services.
LGE says it is witnessing signs of success as the company is in talks with a number of European mobile operators for the shipment of 3G-enabled cellular phones this year.
Notably, Paris-based Orange SA, a wireless unit of France Telecom SA, will be LGE's first WCDMA partner in Europe, with shipments scheduled to begin in the first half of this year, according to Park.
"We are focusing on the high-end 3G handset technology in a bid to establish a firm footing in Europe," he said.
Hutchison, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Telecom Italia Mobile are also talking with LGE to purchase its cell phones, according to James Kim, who heads the company's European operations. The company aims to drive up its 3G-enabled handset sales in Europe nearly four-fold this year over last year, up to 5 million units.
With the 3G-related mobile infrastructure expected to mature next year, the demand for LGE's WCDMA phones will grow faster among European mobile service providers, company officials said. Indeed, Europe is turning into an increasingly lucrative market for handset manufacturers such as LGE. Mobile phone shipments rose 21 percent to a record 131 million units in Western Europe last year as lower prices, new models with color screens and operator subsidies boosted sales, according to researcher Strategy Analytics.
Efforts are being made to entice European customers with enhanced services. During the CeBIT fair, LGE launched a mobile portal service dubbed "WOW LG," which stands for World of Wireless, to provide LGE customers with polyphony ring tones, games and image-editing services in five languages - English, French, German Italian and Spanish.
"The days are gone when mobile phone makers only used to sell and offer warranties. The WOW LG portal differentiates LGE from competitors, seeking to foster pride among LGE mobile phone purchasers in using LGE products and make them loyal LGE customers," said Park.
As the world's largest CDMA handset maker with a 21.6 percent market share worldwide, LGE is putting fresh emphasis on Europe's GSM standard, as its global market leadership largely depends on the sales in the region.
When the sales of America-centered CDMA and Europe-type GSM handsets are combined, LG Electronics is ranked fifth worldwide, according to Strategy Analytics.
LG Electronics targets a 32 percent growth for its handset sales with shipments of 35 million mobile phones this year in a move to rise to the world's third-largest handset maker within three years.
In the displays business, LGE has drawn up plans for strong marketing campaigns to consolidate its No.1 position in plasma-display panel television sales in Europe. The company invested $10 million last October to upgrade its manufacturing facilities in Poland, increasing production of higher-value models.
"The Polish manufacturing base will get further strengthened this year as LGE wants to add in display assembly lines with annual capacity of 100,000 more panels," said LGE public relations officer Yang Seung-hyuk.
In the fourth quarter of 2003, LG Electronics overtook Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. as the world's third-largest plasma display maker, according to market researcher Isuppli. According to LGE's European business chief, the region is the second-largest display market after the United States. "We think the conventional CRT-type television will disappear in the developed countries, even though there is still some market space in the developing countries," Kim said.
On its home turf, LGE is also adding fuel to the growth of liquid-crystal display production, mainly from LG.Philips LCD Co., a joint venture between LG Electronics and Royal Philips Electronics NV of the Netherlands.
Last week, LG.Philips, the world's top maker of liquid crystal displays, broke ground on a 25 trillion won ($22 billion) industrial complex, the world's biggest flat-screen facility. Mass-production is scheduled to begin in 2006.
From its total European display shipments, the portion of premium models, such as plasma, liquid crystal and projection televisions, will increase from 50 percent in 2005 to 70 percent in 2007, according to company forecasts.
The numbers are generally in line with market outlooks. Display market researcher DisplaySearch expects the global market for plasma television screens to rise 50 percent to $2.7 billion this year and grow to $6.8 billion by 2007.
LG Electronics was established in 1958 as a pioneer on the Korean consumer electronics market. The company is a major global force in electronics and information and telecommunication devices. More than 55,000 employees work at 76 subsidiaries and marketing units worldwide.
In particular, it has been eyeing to establish a strong presence in Europe and the company boasts of four upscale manufacturing plants in Britain, Romania and Poland, 14 sales headquarters across the continent and a design center in Ireland. <<
- Eric - |
