Wynn Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SAR group, on Wednesday said it would set up a mobile manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh with an investment of Rs. 270 crore and a production capacity of one million handsets a month.
SAR group is one of the leading players in the field of power conditioning products and services, IT services and software development in GIS-AM/FM and CAD.
“Our first made-in-India mobile will be rolled out in August 2011 from the manufacturing unit proposed to be set up in Himachal Pradesh,” Managing Director Wynn Telecom Arvind R. Vohra told reporters.
To invest Rs. 500 crore
“The group has earmarked an investment of Rs. 500 crore for its telecom venture, of which Rs. 100 crore will be invested this year and Rs. 400 next year for setting up the manufacturing plant in Himachal Pradesh, marketing and R&D,” he said.
“As per the industry estimates nearly 180 million units shall be sold this year,” he said, adding, “The demand for handsets is increasing by 30-35 per cent annually in the country.” The company on Wednesday rolled out seven models of its dual SIM GSM-enabled mobile phones priced between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 5,000, including a social networking-enabled model, which at present are being imported from China.
According to Mr. Vohra, 75-80 per cent of the mobile market in India is dominated by handsets priced between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 5,000, and dual SIM mobiles are leading the growth. With the foray in telecom segment, the group has set an ambitious target of reaching Rs. 2,500-crore-turnover-mark this fiscal.
“At present, we have five suppliers in China namely Konka, Longcheer, Haquin, Simcon and Sprocon, for the dual sim GSM handsets,” Mr. Vohra said.
Competing with close to 150 Indian mobile brands, Wynn has set a target to be among the top three players within one year.
“The company has also signed Bollywood celebrities Saif Ali Khan and Bipasha Basu as its brand ambassadors,” Mr. Vohra said.
