Siemens rings in new models for India

FRANKFURT: German electronics giant Siemens AG has unveiled six mobile phone models targeted at the Indian market through a major Indian electronics retail chain. Siemens mobile, the third largest supplier of equipment for mobile phone networks in India, is now aiming to get a foothold in the mobile handset market in that country, which it predicts will become its second largest Asian market.

"With the introduction of six new phone models, Siemens mobile intends to interest design and styling oriented Indians in mobile phones from Siemens," Siemens said in a statement.

The group said it would sell in the coming weeks its entry-level A55 and higher-end SL55, S55, CL50, M55 models as well as the SX1 smartphone via Tech Pacific, India's biggest IT wholesaler, which has more than 2,000 shops throughout the country. Several models -- especially those targeted at the lower end of the market -- will have a Hindi-language menu.

Siemens currently does not have a major distribution agreement for mobile phones in India, and sports a tiny three percent share of a market that doubled to 13 million mobile users last year, a spokesman said. Siemens, the world's fourth-largest maker of mobile phones after Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, is currently mainly selling phase-out models in India, the spokesman said.

Technology researcher Gartner said last week it expected the number of mobile subscribers to soar to 70 million users in the next five years.

Siemens will also expand its research and development site for mobile network software in Bangalore, increasing the number of engineers to 500 from 400, the group said.

© Reuters