Motorola to make sub-2 k handsets

HYDERABAD: Motorola, one of the leading telecom technology and handset manufacturers in the world, is gearing up to trigger a price war of sorts in the basic mobile handset market.

This time, the company is targeting the mass market segment and will launch a handset — in its Motofone series — for less than Rs 2,000 per handset. The launch is slated to be in the next few months in India
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“This is a mass market product. It will have basic phone features and FM radio,” Motorola’s executive VP and chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior said. Motorola has been working on developing and launching sub-$40 handsets specifically targeted at developing markets including India. “These handsets are meant to give us volumes,” she said.

However, officials said, the final pricing of the product to be launched in India would be decided after considering the price patterns in the competitors’ product range.

Motorola is also planning to make its Hyderabad facility a centre of excellence for handset technology. “The Hyderabad centre plays an important role in all the handset models by contributing key handset applications,” he said.