Motorola to consider manufacturing in India

By agencies   |   Thursday, 25 August 2005, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI:Motorola Inc, the world's second-largest handset maker, will consider making telecom gear in India as its seeks to bid for big equipment deals from Indian state-run carriers, its chief Edward Zander said. India is the world's fastest growing major mobile market, with new users rising by 2.5 million a month. Growth is set to accelerate as carriers such as state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) expand their reach in under penetrated rural markets. India’s largest integrated telecom operator BSNL is in the process of firming up a global tender for up to 40 million GSM lines and the government has said the eventual winner would have to manufacture a part of that order in India. "We are considering it. We need to grow our market share here," Zander, Motorola's chief executive officer said. He said Motorola would launch three low-cost phones in October for the Indian rural market to help win market share from Finnish giant Nokia. Zander also said Motorola is planning to increase its engineering headcount in India by 1,000 to take the total to 3,500 by the end of next year. In India, Motorola was also working with local operators to deploy low- priced products, he said, adding that India centers were also working on some of the latest technologies in mobile devices. Motorola was working to develop Bluetooth wireless headphones for mobile devices that are voice-activated and can play music and fit on a pair of sunglasses etc.