Keeping in mind the Government's 'Digital India' campaign, Aakash tablet maker Datawind on Tuesday entered the Indian smartphone market on Tuesday by launching its 2G and 3G smartphones. The smartphones are priced between Rs1,999 and Rs5,499 and come with a year of free unlimited internet browsing on Reliance Communications platform.
PocketSurfer 2G4 is a 3.5 inch, EDGE network compatible smartphone priced at Rs 1,999 and PocketSurfer 3G4 is a 4 inch, 3G enabled smartphone worth Rs 2,999. The 5 inch PocketSurfer 3G5 is a 3G compatible phone available at a price of Rs5,499. All the three phones are Dual SIM. "We are passionate about technology and access that enables and empowers the common man to achieve more in every conceivable way. With this new range ultra-low cost smartphones, powered with the internet access by India's leading network, we hope to ignite a spark that revolutionise India's movement towards achieving its grand vision of a Digital India," said Datawind President and CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli at a press conference.
He further added that the Canada-based company is committed to shifting 90 per cent of its production to India within three months. The products will be available for sale in Naaptol TV, print and online shopping platforms from Tuesday. The products will also be available at Sangeetha Mobiles, Spice Hotspot Retail and other key modern trade and retail partners by the next week.
The company expects to sell around 50 lakh units of their smartphones in the next 12 months and primarily targets II and III tier cities. Talking about retail network, Tuli said, "By the end of March we'll have 3,600 retail stores but our target is to at least double that number by the next quarter and continuously increasing it at a fast pace." Tuli also said that Datawind hopes to employ around 1,000 people in direct and indirect jobs by next year in India.