Foxconn arm InFocus to invest Rs 65 crore in India, eyes top 5 handset companies tally

NEW DELHI: InFocus, the handset arm of Taiwan’s Foxconn, plans to invest $10 million (about Rs 65 crore) to get a foothold in India with a focus on the Rs 10,000-price segment as part of its second attempt to make a mark in the world’s second largest mobile phone market.

InFocus is also working on a 4G Volte feature phone, priced under Rs 3,000, which is likely to be launched before Diwali. The company is working with Reliance Jio on the kind of plans — voice, data and apps — that can be offered or bundled with the device, said Dr Luo Zhongsheng, global CEO for Sharp and InFocus Mobile, who is also senior VP at FIH Mobile, the mobile phone arm of Foxconn Technology Group.

Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer, also plans to launch smartphones from Sharp — the Japanese company’s business it acquired last year — by the end of the year.

“There is more focus from the headquarters on the India market now, there’s been a change in team, more partners have been added and we’re also getting into feature phones,” Dr Zhongsheng added.

InFocus is eyeing a top five place among handset players in three years through an aggressive push in both online and offline segments in the country, with eight smartphones models between Rs 4,999 and Rs 10,999, and an equal number of feature phone models priced between Rs 699 and Rs 1,099. By next year, InFocus will launch devices upwards of Rs 11,000 in the market.