Nokia will not hike cellular phone prices
Nokia will not hike cellular phone prices
JAKARTA (JP): Finnish mobile phone producer Nokia has promised
not to raises prices of its mobile phones in Indonesia for the
next several months despite the rupiah's volatility against the
U.S. dollar.
The general manager of Nokia Mobile Phones of Indonesia,
Alexander Lambeek, said Monday Nokia raised its products' prices
by about 20 percent in the second half of last year due to the
monetary crisis.
But, the company said it would keep its prices stable for the
next few months as part of its strategy to increase its market
share amid the monetary crisis, Lambeek said.
"We feel optimistic about expanding our customer base this
year and even to lead the domestic market," Lambeek said.
He said Nokia was currently in the top three mobile phone
producers in the country, together with Ericcson and Motorola.
But he refused to reveal last year's sales figures or the
company's revenue projection for this year.
Lambeek said the newest product, the Nokia 6110, which was
launched internationally last November in Beijing and last week
in Indonesia, sold out within a week.
"There is no single phone in stock any longer. We are waiting
for another shipment of the phones to fulfill the high domestic
demand," Lambeek said, adding that the sales volume here was in
the hundreds.
Some observers doubted the Nokia 6110 would be a success due
to the economic crisis and its high price of Rp 3.8 million
(US$315).
But, the new cellular product has been reportedly sold for
more than Rp 4 million due to the high demand.
The phone, designed for the high-end market, provides several
new features, including a louder and clearer sound and a standby
time of up to 270 hours. It is also small its casing can change
in color like a chameleon.
"I think it sells well because it has a good price and also
good performance and features," Lambeek said.
According to Lambeek, the phone was recently billed as the
best phone for the Global System for Telecommunication Journals
(GSM) system by two Norwegian telecommunication journals Telecom
Revy and Dagens Telecom in a survey of many noted brands. (jsk)