PHILIPPINES--Motorola is hoping to grab a significant share of the country's mainstream mobile phone market, currently dominated by Finland's Nokia.
In a press briefing Tuesday, where the company also gave a sneak preview of its new product offerings, Motorola said it will be releasing "very cost-effective" phones as part of efforts to increase its share of the local market.
Mari Litonjua, marketing director for Motorola Philippines, said the company's new slew of mobile phone models, despite being inexpensive, will have the latest multimedia technologies including MP3 support, camera, radio, airplane mode, and Motorola's patented CrystaTalk feature and "modeshift" technology.
Litonjua said Motorola aims to focus on the mass market segment because most Filipino buyers are now inclined toward entry-level phones with multimedia features.
While pricing details have yet to be revealed, the company five new phone models will be priced "lower than 3,500 pesos (US$80)" with some of the models priced at "a little more than 2,000 pesos (US$46)", he said.
The new mobile devices, part of Motorola's Motorokr product line, are expected to hit local store shelves "in the coming weeks", the executive said.
Litonjua said the company will be targeting younger mobile users, as well as budget-conscious buyers.
"The mass market in the Philippines is characterized by buyers wanting to have a phone with basic features like an MP3 player or a built-in radio," he said. "This is where Motorola will focus."
Litonjua did not disclose sales targets, but said Motorola is betting big on these mass-market phones to lift its market share against current leader Nokia.
According to industry estimates, Nokia commands between 40 and 60 percent share in the Philippine mobile market, a bulk of which comes from sales of mass market-targeted offerings, or phones with "basic" calling and SMS features and simple multimedia capabilities.
The remaining market share is hotly contested by rivals Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Motorola, among others.
Litonjua remained mum on Motorola's plans to transform its handset division into an autonomous business unit. The company earlier said it will spin off its mobile business unit, and appointed a former key executive of rival Qualcomm to head the unit.
Joel D. Pinaroc is a freelance IT writer based in the Philippines.
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