Business

Monday July 13, 2009

EU phone new growth driver for Sony Ericsson

By LEE KIAN SEONG


It will launch the new phone category in Malaysia in October

PETALING JAYA: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB aims to expand its market share for cellular phones in Asia-Pacific through the introduction of its Entertainment Unlimited (EU)-type mobile phones.

The new category of phones combined features from its Walkman handphones and Cybershot cameras and would be the new growth driver for Sony Ericsson, going forward, said vice-president for Asia-Pacific, Hirokazu Ishizuka.

The EU-category handset would enhance user experience through entertainment with features such imaging, videos and gaming, he added.

“We want to be innovative in our technology and phone features and be rich in mobile content,” Ishizuka told StarBiz in an interview recently.

Hirokazu Ishizuka ... ‘We want to be innovative in our technology and phone features and b e rich in mobile content’.

“Mobile content is important in attracting consumers while video and music are popular features now.”

He said Sony Ericsson would launch three new EU-type handset models – the Satio, Aino and Yari – in Malaysia in October.

The company would also continue developing its handphone technology and add more features, he added, noting that Sony Ericsson invested substantially in research for product development and innovation annually.

The company has sold over 107 million units of its Walkman phone globally since it was launched in 2005. Total sales for the phone reached 11,244 million euros last year, 13% lower than 2007.

Despite the drop in sales, Ishizuka said Sony Ericsson was still optimistic on its performance in Asia-Pacific with its upcoming products and the Walkman phones.

He noted that the company had launched four new Walkman phone models in Malaysia this year.

“Our Walkman brand is very well accepted by the market and the feedback is also good for our EU-category phones,” he said.

Sony Ericsson Malaysia general manager Alex Wong said there was six million handsets of various brands sold in Malaysia last year. Of this, Sony Ericsson held 19% of the market share.

“We aim for 22% (market share) this year,” he said, adding that it would continue to partner telecommunication companies by providing handsets for their subscribers in promotional campaigns.

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