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Vietnamese handset brand Mobiistar makes India its global HQ; to launch phones this month

NEW DELHI: Vietnamese handset brand Mobiistar is set to enter the Indian smartphone market later this month to take on Chinese brands like Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, and has decided to make India its global headquarters to run operations in other countries.

"4G feature phone happened in India, and 4G is growing fast. This is the market where all the major things in the mobile industry are happening in India...We do have a chance to try. succeeded or not, it's too early to tell. This is the market we want to try," Carl Ngo, Group CEO at Mobiistar, told ET.

"After looking at the number and size of the country and growth, I have decided to be based here. The idea is to run global operations by based out of here. I am here full time," he added.

The company has already tied-up with contract manufacturer V-Sun Technologies to locally assemble handsets. "Under this partnership, Vsun will provide the bandwidth that we want basis the demand, and will give priority to us. They can allocate production lines to us in a very fast manner. They have the unit in Haryana. The trial production has already begun," the top executive said.

Mobiistar is also mulling over setting up its SMT (Surface-mount technology) for the printed circuit board or PCB assembling in the country.

The handset company is focusing on the selfie camera segment, largely created by Chinese brands like Oppo and Vivo. It will launch products in the Rs 6,000-Rs 10,000 price category initially in the online channel.

"We have to get the right product for the Indian market. We will begin with online but have a plan to go offline and then the price range will be larger," Carl said.

The handset player is looking to launch products, specially made for the Indian market with local research and development. For R&D, it has formed partnerships with chipset vendors and design houses. The brand will have up to 850 service outlets from the day one of launch, which it will increase to 1000 outlets after three months.

"We have to put enough resources into bringing the product to India and then making the brand known to the consumer. We have to service them enough. R&D, supply chain, and more importantly manufacturing...these all are investments," Carl said, without sharing investment figures.

For marketing, the company is planning to ape India's leading handset brand, Xiaomi, which achieved the numero uno position in the country without spending huge marketing dollars like Oppo and Vivo.

"We will largely focus on social media and digital channels, and will directly talk to consumers," Carl said.

The company currently has a team of 50 people, which it wants to increase to 200 by hiring executives for functions such as sales and marketing, and product development.

The handset brand is currently in talks with several telecom operators to ink bundling tie-ups.

Mobiistar is among top five handset vendors in Vietnam, India is a part of the company's strategy to expand internationally. The company has already expanded within South East Asia with countries like Cambodia and is now set to enter into the GCC or Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. "We will start with Dubai in the GCC region," he said.

with thanks: Telecom EconomicTimes: LINK