HTC looking to bring 4G handset to India

Taiwanese phone maker HTC which saw growth doubling in India last year is looking to expand further into the country. Faisal Siddiqui, country head, spoke to Beryl Menezes about the popularity of the HTC One series, brand strategy and what makes the brand tick in India. Excerpts from the interview:

What are your latest launches in the Indian market?
We have launched the entire One Series in India - One X, One S and One V. We have also launched our affordable Desire family of devices starting with Desire C, bringing in a variety of smartphones that run on the Android 4.0 software. The other USP that differentiates our smartphones is unmatched camera and sound quality.

Do you expect any rise in 3G handset sales after 3G tariffs were slashed?
Affordable 3G prices will certainly offer more consumers to experience the 3G services but will not materially impact the 3G handset sales. The smartphone market is already growing at the rate of 60-80% annually, as per several industry reports.
By when do you think we will see a 4G handset from HTC in India?
We are working on it.

Tell us something about HTC bundling services with telecom operators?
HTC has tied up with Airtel for offering data packages for HTC One X and HTC One V that were launched in April. Last year we partnered with Tata Docomo to offer HTC Cha Cha (Facebook phone) with a bundled data package. Similarly, we have collaborated with Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular and most of the major telecom operators in India in the past to offer data bundled schemes for our various models.

Any plans to start experience stores, on the lines of Samsung’s smartphone cafes?
Our focus is to bring the HTC experience to each and every Indian through our vast network of retail partners, online partners and operator partners. We will ensure an easy and convenient access of our devices to our customers.

What are HTC’s plans to increase its India market share this fiscal?
India is one of the key markets for HTC. We will continue to bring innovative and exciting phones to the Indian consumer. We are investing in expanding our distribution network to ensure easy and convenient access to HTC phones for every smartphone customer in India through our network of retail and online partners. We are also investing in expanding our service infrastructure to provide best-in-class service to our customers.