Consumer electronics brand OSCAR today announced its entry into the Rs. 70,000 crore cellular phone markets. To begin with Oscar mobiles will be launched in North and East India where Oscar has a strong presence and will be subsequently launched in rest of India.
Backed by 25 years of trust, brand OSCAR has been credited in the consumer electronics industry for opening up the value-for-money market and for introducing a perfect mix of features with the right price points. OSCAR today remains a significant player in this segment across product categories like CTVs, DVDs, Home Theatre Systems and Multi-media speaker systems. Synonymous with good quality products that provide years of value to consumers, brand Oscar was the first in the market to introduce CTV`s, VCD Players, DVD`s and multimedia speaker systems at real value prices, in the last decade.
"Our foray into the telecom vertical is in keeping with our vision to provide consumers with high quality products at unmatched prices by following a no-frills policy. Our vision is to introduce the most affordable handsets in India keeping in mind the features to price ratio" said Mr. Satish Verma, Chairman, Oscar Group.
"Currently about 50% of Indians are on ULCH (ultra low cost handsets). We therefore saw a great opportunity for OSCAR which has a strong track record in the Value for Money (VFM) segment. We will look to build a strong presence in the semi-urban and rural market, where the prominence of both subscribers and operators is rapidly increasing, besides the burgeoning urban market" he added.
Speaking on the brand's expansion plans, Suresh Wadhwani Executive Director said, "By end of first year, we hope to sell one lakh mobiles per month in North & East India with a turnover of Rs. 250 crores and thereafter grow at 15-20% annually. In five years, we are aiming to reach a turnover of 1000 crores."
Speaking on the technology aspect, Karan Verma who heads the mobile activity at Oscar said, "Oscar Mobiles are subjected to vigorous testing on all functions, in order to deliver quality at an affordable price. The models offer value through additional features across the range to provide a higher level of consumer satisfaction with special emphasis on providing additional features like enhanced network connectivity and superior audio and video quality in the models (All models have high audio output so that the phones can be used for communication even while in crowded areas where the noise level is high; the models have been upgraded to ensure minimum signal loss or call drops so that communication remains uninterrupted. The multimedia models have the distinction of video without breaks or jerks which provides the best viewing experience) and long life battery (some of the models have up to 30 days of standby because of the special 1800 - 2000 mAh battery used".
"Oscar is investing heavily on product quality and reliability of its mobile phones to quickly raise it's consumer base, in the shortest possible time, by giving the user advanced features through superior technology at a price that shall make him or her smile" he added.
All Oscar mobile phone support Dual SIM GSM connectivity to allow customers to manage their personal and professional numbers efficiently, and come with a 1 year warranty and backed by a comprehensive after- sales service with an existing network of over 250 service centres. Available at 1,500 retail shops across East and North India, the network will touch 8,000 retail points by year end
Oscar will launch a total of 10 handsets priced between Rs. 1700 to Rs. 4500 in the next 2 months. All the models will offer some additional feature that no other brand currently offers at that price point. Of the 6 that have been already launched, the base model N1 has a vibration speaker, a first for an entry level phone at that price point.
The higher end model currently on offer, Z1 which is an aspirational Qwerty Keypad Handset is based on a very fast processor and comes with a front and back camera, unheard of at that price point! Apart from the entry level N1, most Oscar mobiles will come loaded with plethora of multimedia options including FM Radio, MP3, MP4 player, access to various social networking sites, excellent quality 1.3 MP camera among others giving distinctly superior pictures.
As per Industry estimates, mobile handset industry has grown exponentially with 108 million mobile phones sold in the country in 2009-10, resulting in sales of Rs 27,000 crore as against Rs 25,910 crore during the previous year. Faster growth is expected in the coming years as the mobile replacement market that currently stands at 55%, is expected to reach 70% by 2010 (according to BCG Research).
Source: OSCAR