Nokia launches two handsets, ventures into dual-SIM market
With the launch of two new mobile phones, Nokia announced its foray into the segment of dual-SIM mobile phones. This step has been taken by Nokia in order to provide strength to its market share in India.
There was a time when the Indian handset market used to dominated by the likes of Nokia, Samsung and LG. But now there are some strong homegrown brands including Micromax, Spice, Karbonn and Zen which are giving tough competition to the global giants. The other multinational handset-makers like Samsung have already launched the dual-SIM handsets in the market.
The new Nokia C1 (C1-00) features a flashlight and FM radio. The phone is also equipped with a “call divert” facility so that users do not miss a call from either of the two SIMs. This new phone of Nokia can be used for only voice and SMS. The new Nokia C1 is priced at Rs 1,999. The other phone of Nokia called Nokia C2 will be equipped with services like Ovi Life Tools and Ovi Mail. A music player has also been provided in this phone. The phone will be equipped with support micro- SD cards of up to 32 GB capacity.
The Ovi Life Tools service of the phone will provide information about healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment to the users. , The new Nokia C2 will be available later this year. Nokia Executive Vice-President (Mobile Phones) Mary McDowell commented that entry-level consumers need dual SIMs for various reasons, including economising time and costs, improving efficiency and for increased convenience. To address these consumer requirements, Nokia has launched these two devices that offer multiple SIM capabilities with a balanced feature set and relevant innovations at affordable price points.
She further added that the two handsets, C1 and C2, are the first two dual SIM handsets being launched. Nokia India Managing Director D Shivkumar was quoted saying that the dual SIM market in India has taken off well, mainly due to the tariff war amongst telecom operators. People have more than one SIM to get benefits from various offers and hence the dual-SIM segment has grown. The segment is significant and Nokia feels that it is the right time to enter that market.
