HMD Global is working with various ODM and EMS partners to meet the domestic demand for feature phones and smartphones in India
HMD Global, the brand that makes Nokia-branded phones, has said that it is looking to collaborate with local electronics players in India to make its tablets and accessories. The company has also begun exporting made-in-India Nokia phones which are made in India to the UAE.
HMD Global Vice President (India and MENA) Sanmeet Singh Kochhar told the media that the first device being exported is Nokia 105, the number one selling feature phone in India and globally.
The Nokia 105 will be exported from the company’s partner factory in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, and the UAE is the first country where the device will be exported.
“Not only are they made in India, but we are also focussing on making them with Indian manufacturing partners and we are now kickstarting exports from India,” Kochhar said.
“India is an important market for us from a manufacturing standpoint and we creating it as a global hub for supply chain,” Kochhar told.
HMD Global is working with various ODM (original design manufacturer) and EMS (electronic manufacturing solution) partners to meet the domestic demand for feature phones and smartphones in India.
Kochhar said there is strong relevance for feature phones even now and various use cases – right from low entry cost, lower recurring costs (no data costs) to longer battery life and repair costs.
“While feature phone market has been declining gradually, but in India, we have not declined, and we have now become number one in value… feature phones is a big market globally, it’s not just in India. Asia Pacific, Africa, MENA, Latin America,” he stated.
