Date:10/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/02/10/stories/2005021000761900.htm

Back BPL unveils GSM mobiles in Kerala

Our Bureau

Kochi , Feb. 9

BPL Telecom Pvt Ltd has unveiled its range of GSM mobile handsets in the Kerala market here with a host of features.

The company has rolled out seven models in the market with a price range between Rs 3,600 and Rs 11,000 with various features such as polyphonic ring tones, colour screen, dual LCD panels and camera. Another 20-25 handset modes would be launched in the next fiscal, Mr N. Gopinath, General Manager (Sales), told a news conference. Of the seven models, two are manufactured in-house while the remaining five are outsourced from Korea, he added.

In Kerala, the company has tied up with BPL Mobile, the group's cell phone provider, and made a scheme wherein a subscriber will get a free pre-paid connection and Rs 200 worth of talk time. There were also plans to launch an entry-level product in the market by March with a price tag of Rs 2,500, he said adding, that the company had set a target of 10 per cent market share from the State by next fiscal.

Of the earmarked investment amount of Rs 50 crore for GSM mobile by March, Rs 24 crore had already been invested in the handset manufacturing facility at Palakkad, he said.

By the end of the current fiscal, he said BPL Telecom hopes to generate revenue of Rs 45-50 crore from mobile handset business out of its total turnover of Rs 200 crore.