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Saturday, 01 October , 2005, 10:39
Bangalore: A handset for less than Rs 1,000 might soon be a reality for Indian consumers. Philips Semiconductors has assured the Indian market of a "relevant low cost mobile." Today in Sify Finance
Speaking to reporters at the inauguration of their new Philips Innovation Centre (PIC) at Hebbal, Frans van Houten, CEO, Philips Semiconductors, said it would work with local players in India to build an "indigenous product" for an MRP of $20, which may be released sometime next year.
Philip's Nexperia range of integrated chips (IC) for mobiles can be programmed to make this product a reality. van Houten said a Nexperia-based low-cost handset had already seen success in China. Brought out by a Chinese manufacturer, these handsets are available for an MRP of $25. He said this success story has made them confident of a further price reduction.
As part of the emerging market initiative announced by the GSM Association earlier this year, handset vendors such as Motorola and Sagem introduced a sub-$40 mobile in India. Many vendors are working on sub-$30 handsets. German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon recently announced a sub-$20 single-chip platform for mobile handsets.
Two other projects by Philips - set-top box IP solutions targeted at rural areas and the national identification project using smart cards - are also being carried out.
The PIC has invested over Rs 150 crore (30 million euros) for the first two phases and will house 2,500 employees by the end of 2007. At present, 1,600 employees from the medical systems division have been moved to the centre.
PIC's focus domains are healthcare, lifestyle and technology. The centre will also contribute to advanced cell phone projects by the company.
"PIC will work on hospital workflow packages, digital TV and Blu-ray, a new compact disc format that can store data up to 50GB. Engineers here will also contribute to research and development in mobile telephony, digital home and automotives," said van Houten.
Bob Hoekstra, CEO of PIC, said with this centre, the company had taken another step to becoming a "critical value chain business partner". This year, the company has seen a 17-20 per cent growth and the revenue out of India this year was Rs 3,000 crore.
Bangalore: A handset for less than Rs 1,000 might soon be a reality for Indian consumers. Philips Semiconductors has assured the Indian market of a "relevant low cost mobile." Today in Sify Finance
Speaking to reporters at the inauguration of their new Philips Innovation Centre (PIC) at Hebbal, Frans van Houten, CEO, Philips Semiconductors, said it would work with local players in India to build an "indigenous product" for an MRP of $20, which may be released sometime next year.
Philip's Nexperia range of integrated chips (IC) for mobiles can be programmed to make this product a reality. van Houten said a Nexperia-based low-cost handset had already seen success in China. Brought out by a Chinese manufacturer, these handsets are available for an MRP of $25. He said this success story has made them confident of a further price reduction.
As part of the emerging market initiative announced by the GSM Association earlier this year, handset vendors such as Motorola and Sagem introduced a sub-$40 mobile in India. Many vendors are working on sub-$30 handsets. German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon recently announced a sub-$20 single-chip platform for mobile handsets.
Two other projects by Philips - set-top box IP solutions targeted at rural areas and the national identification project using smart cards - are also being carried out.
The PIC has invested over Rs 150 crore (30 million euros) for the first two phases and will house 2,500 employees by the end of 2007. At present, 1,600 employees from the medical systems division have been moved to the centre.
PIC's focus domains are healthcare, lifestyle and technology. The centre will also contribute to advanced cell phone projects by the company.
"PIC will work on hospital workflow packages, digital TV and Blu-ray, a new compact disc format that can store data up to 50GB. Engineers here will also contribute to research and development in mobile telephony, digital home and automotives," said van Houten.
Bob Hoekstra, CEO of PIC, said with this centre, the company had taken another step to becoming a "critical value chain business partner". This year, the company has seen a 17-20 per cent growth and the revenue out of India this year was Rs 3,000 crore.
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