Alcatel to launch 3G handset priced at Rs 4,000 in India

Pacetel India has recently established an exclusive marketing tie-up with China-based Alcatel mobile to form a company called ICE mobile systems to sell Alcatel phones in India.
Speaking to Telecom Yatra about the choice of the company for the tie-up, director of ICE MS Malik said, “We didn’t want to be amongst the 120 odd ULC (ultra low-cost) players, we wanted to bring in a quality product at a reasonable price and Alcatel was the perfect choice. They have a wide range of products which are suitable for Indian market and offer robust quality without being too expensive.”
ICE also plans to introduce a 3G handset priced at Rs 4,000 and an Android phone at Rs 6,000 by September. Malik said, “We want to target the student community first and for this, our handset will have inbuilt social media apps, multimedia features, good looks and fast processor”.
Regarding the roll out plan, he said, “We want to follow a top down approach. We will first launch handsets in the middle range with features of a high end phone and then we will introduce ULC category handsets.”
The company has already launched a full QWERTY flap phone and has roped in Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut as the brand ambassador. The company plans to add six to seven phones by September, which includes the next to be launched full touch and qwerty slider phone.
Pacetel has a wide service network of 300 centers which the company plans to utilise for servicing its products. Malik also added that the company will create a pan India distribution network but initially will target Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and UP West. Malik said that initial investment will not be very high but will increase substantially beginning 2011, “when we have our portfolio ready”. ICE is also in conversation with operators to sell co-branded handsets.
Regarding marketing, Mallik said that initially the company will focus on outdoor and print ads and later when it has between four and five models in the market, it will launch TV commercials.
Alcatel’s previous stint in the Indian phone market was deemed a failure, and it sold its business to Hong Kong-based TCT mobile. ICE expects to sell a million handsets in the next three months. A lot be will however depend on the kind of brand image it can create for itself and the product portfolio that it builds in India.