Sony Ericsson to set up R&D unit in Chennai

NEW DELHI: Mobile handset manufacturer Sony Ericsson has announced that it is establishing a research and development unit for mobile phones in Chennai. The move follows the company's January announcement of setting up a manufacturing unit for mobile handsets with Flextronics and Foxconn in India.

The Chennai research and development unit will be headed by Anders Grynge, who was previously based at the Sony Ericsson R&D centre in Sweden. The new facility will become part of Sony Ericsson's global network of R&D units, which currently comprises sites in China, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US and the UK.

Sudhin Mathur, General Manager - Sony Ericsson India, said, "Establishing a development facility in India along with manufacturing gives us a strong foothold for generating future growth in India. Over the past few years, Sony Ericsson has witnessed very encouraging growth in the Indian market, more than doubling its market share, and becoming amongst the top 3 GSM handset manufacturers. With a product development site in Chennai, as well as local manufacturing, Sony Ericsson is poised to further consolidate its growing momentum in the Indian market."

Anders Grynge, Head - Product Business Group, Sony Ericsson India, said: "India is the world's fastest growing economy with a highly skilled technology-focused workforce. The Indian market is also one of the most exciting and dynamic, as consumers are adopting mobile communications technology rapidly. We can more closely tap into consumer behaviour in local markets if we continue to have R&D teams `on the ground.' This can lead to innovations that have worldwide appeal, as well as make our products more accepted on a regional basis."