Akai India to launch 3G and Android phone by January

Japanese consumer electronics brand Akai will launch 3G and Android handsets in India early next year.
Pranay Dhabhai, managing director, Akai India, said, “We plan to launch 3G and Android handsets for Indian market around January and the Android handset will cost around Rs 10,000.”
On setting up a handset manufacturing unit in India, he said, “At present equipment vendor ecosystem in India is not is place. Thus, manufacturing in India right now is not feasible.”
He further added, “If some sops or taxation changes are introduced, only then we will think of manufacturing in India.”
“We are expecting an overall turnover of Rs 435 crore by July 2011 and mobile sales are expected to contribute around 40 per cent of the total revenues, with targeted monthly sales of one lakh handsets from next month,” he said.
The company has also earmarked Rs 25 crore on promotional activities and advertising campaigns during this fiscal, and will release its first set of commercials next week.
Akai re-entered India in January this year through Global Brands Enterprise Solutions, after it ended its brand licensing agreement with consumer durable major Videocon in September last year. At present, Akai’s product portfolio includes washing machines, microwave ovens, DVD players, televisions and home theatres.