Mobile phone companies expect robust sales this year
Mobile phone companies expect robust sales this year
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Cellular-phone makers are optimistic sales will continue to
increase this year on the back of strong market potential.
The limited availability of fixed-line services in the country
should provide a greater opportunity for mobile phone
manufacturers to sell more handsets, industry players said.
The number of mobile phone users in this country is projected
to jump to 15 million this year from over 9 million last year.
This growth is the largest in the Southeast Asian region.
More encouraging for the existing manufacturers is the limited
number of cell phone brands currently available in the large
market.
The handset manufacturers declined to disclose their sales
targets for this year, but said that they would launch new
products to help boost sales.
For this year, Nokia Corporation, which dominates the
Indonesian handset market, vows to maintain last year's business
strategy.
"We will continue to provide (the domestic market) with low
price products for the middle to low income segments," said Hasan
Aula, the general manager of the Nokia representative office
here.
Last year, about 50 percent of total mobile phone users came
from this category of customers, who have the ability to buy cell
phone units at prices of between Rp 1.5 million (US$168.5) and Rp
2 million.
Meiske Surjadinata, the marketing manager of Sony Ericsson
Mobile Communications of Indonesia said that many mobile-phone
makers would continue to concentrate on this market segment.
Budiani Pardede, a Korean Air flight attendant and a long time
cellular phone user, said he preferred a mobile phone that was
affordable.
"The ideal price is between Rp 1 million and Rp 2.5 million,"
she said.
But Samsung, the second largest mobile-phone maker here,
remains comfortable with its middle to high income market
segment.
"We mainly focus on the middle-high income business people as
our technology allows us to do so," said Lee Kang Hyun, the
general manager of PT Samsung Electronic Indonesia.
Samsung is currently the market leader in developing Code
Division Multi Access (CDMA) technology, which offers clearer
sound, wider coverage, smoother transmission and multimedia
facilities.
He added that Samsung would also give attention to younger
consumer groups.
"Samsung will introduce new products with unique designs that
are appealing to younger people," said Lee.
Nokia will try also to attract young people by introducing
mobile phone handsets in a variety of colors.
"Colorful handsets are always appealing to younger people,"
said Hasan.
Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson has come up with a plan to launch
more futuristically designed mobile phones this year.
"We are better prepared this year and aim to become the
largest handset maker in the country," said Haliono Sugianto, the
country manager for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.