HCL in $1.5 mn sponsorship deal with Turkish sports club

NEW DELHI: HCL Infosystems has signed over USD 1.5 million (about Rs 9 crore) sponsorship deal with Turkish sports club Galatasaray to push sales of its ME brand of tablets in the region, and tapping it further to enter European markets.

"The sponsorship agreement signed between Galatasaray and ME Tablet will make ME Tablet an official sponsor' for Galatasaray Football and Volleyball clubs," the company said in a statement today.

The deal size is "USD 1.5 million upwards", it said. The IT company has also launched the limited edition of ME GS 1905, designed exclusively for Galatasaray, its fans and supporters. HCL had launched ME tablets in Turkey in March.

"Our Mobility business has taken off strongly in the Middle East & India and Turkey will play a key role for HCL ME tablets to enter into Europe. We have identified Turkey as our most important investment base," HCL Infosystems Global Head (Mobility Business) Gautam Advani said.

The cooperation with Galatasaray will be an important means for the company to achieve this objective, he added.

"With our association with Galatasaray we have ensured a strong beginning for the brand in the Turkish market and this shows our commitment to invest in this market," Srinath Nagarajan, Business Head (Mobility Business Unit), EMEA HCL Infosystems Ltd MEA said.

The company offers a wide range of IT services and products, from cloud computing to learning solutions.