Sam sung dials Nokia distributors to grab market share

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Sam sung dials Nokia distributors to grab market share


New Delhi (PTI): Korean electronics giant Samsung is luring major distributors of world's largest cell phone player Nokia to switch side in its bid to double the market share to over 15 per cent in India this year.

"The distribution network of Samsung's mobile will be strengthened with SSK-the largest distributor of Nokia in the West, and Link - another Nokia distributor in the East, moving to the Samsfold," Samsung Telecommunications India Country Head Sunil Dutt told PTI.

Nokia, however, refused to comment on Samsung's move. When contacted a company official said: "we have a robust distribution network comprising over a lakh retail outlets and 200 distributors. We have long term relation with our distributors and our main focus is consumer needs".

Dutt claimed besides Nokia's two regional level distributors, in all about 40 dealers of the Finnish mobile giant have switched over to Samsung in the last few months.

He said that the company has also planned to increase the headcount in the handset division by 50 per cent. He, however, declined to give number of people to be recruited and the present strength.

Samsung has a manufacturing facility in Noida and is able to meet the local demand along with imports of high end handsets.

Hoping that India will require 100 million handsets in 2008, Samsung is planning to have a share of over 15 million in all segments, Dutt said adding "we would like to have presence in all price segments and has lined up launching a number of new devices during the year."