Intel to widen distribution network

Priya Padmanabhan

BANGALORE: Intel, which is keen on increasing PC penetration in the Indian

market, is looking to widen its channel network.

The company today announced its affordable computing solutions for India.

Intel embarked on a market development program internally referred to as “operation

Parivartan” in 2004, aimed at boosting awareness and interest levels on PCs

among consumers in B- and C- class towns in India through events.

Today, the company has expanded its reach to 480 towns and cities across

India and has a network of 2000 Genuine Intel Dealers.

Now, the company wants to expand the next rung of the network-resellers. “We

want to partner with the assembler/reseller community in India. We hope to

include around 20,000 IT resellers and expand our reach to 786 Indian cities,”

said GB Kumar, director, marketing-South Asia.

The resellers would be referred to as Intel associates, he added.

The company is also keen on promoting its new “Eduwise platform” laptops

to schools across India. In the first phase, we will target public and private

schools and will be speaking to content providers while in the second phase, we

will reach out to other schools,” said Bidisha Nagaraj, director, strategic

marketing (Emerging Market Product Group), Intel.

The company is still working out on business models that would help schools

in providing the affordable PCs to students.

Eduwise is a small-form factor laptop that has software and hardware features

to serve educational needs in developing countries. It is designed for

individual students in primary or secondary schools. Systems based on this

platform will be shipped starting the first half of 2007.

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