International consumer electronics and mobile phone maker Samsung this week announced what it said was its "first foray" into smart phones in Sri Lanka, indicating that it was confident it could secure 25% market share in this segment by year's end. This is for a segment that it estimates makes up 3% to 5% of the overall mobile phones sold locally and which analysts forecast will grow 22% annually until 2013.
A Samsung Smart Phone |
Speaking on behalf of US$ 116.8 billion turnover Samsung, Country Manager Shankar Narayan also told reporters that plans were in place to grow local distribution from 600 stores currently to more than 1,000 by the end of 2010. This is in addition to adding service centres in Ratnapura, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa to expand after sales service to the North and East. All of which also puts into the company's reach a sales target equal to 20% of market share for all mobile phones. He also revealed that Samsung presently had 30 models available in this country and was the leader in the local touch screen and dual SIM areas of mobile phones sales.
Meanwhile, two models introduced on Wednesday, Samsung Wave, priced at Rs. 55,000 (offering 1 GHz CPU, 2 GB internal memory and 5 mega pixel camera), and Samsung Galaxy S, at Rs. 75,000 (offering 1 GHz CPU, 16 GB internal memory and 5 mega pixel camera),were also noted as being the first local offerings of Samsung's proprietary Bada operating system and Google's Android platform.
Additionally, Mr. Narayan also revealed that two more, much cheaper (below Rs. 50,000) Bada-based models would also be launched locally very soon. He noted that this would be in a market where the majority of smart phones were typically priced over Rs. 100,000. |
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