iBall aims to capture 5% of handset mart

iBall, a computer hardware company, is of late making waves in the mobile handset space by delivering cutting-edge innovation at affordable prices. Sandeep Parasrampuria, director, iBall, says commitment to quality and a value-for-money proposition has helped iBall compete with major smartphone vendors. In this interview, he spoke with Beryl Menezes. Excerpts:

iBall is known for its high-quality sound, smallest phones, first water-proof handset -- all at a low-cost. How do you ensure revenue generation despite the high costs involved?
iBall as a brand has always believed in high value for money proposition in its offerings. Consistent growth of the brand in its 11 year journey proves that this philosophy is working and iBall is happy to project a combination of innovation and value for all its products.

How is iBall doing in the Indian market?
We have grown from just one category to 28 categories of products today and have made a mark in each. Mobile phones is a new category for iBall. We expect to capture around 5% of the mobile handset market share within the next 12 to 18 months.

Do you face any competition from Chinese handsets?
Competition is in every market. iBall is an established brand and hence we do not look at the grey market which sells Chinese products.

What are the main challenges you face from other low-cost smartphone makers?
Every brand which is committed finds its place and market share. iBall has always been very committed to its offerings and service. Competition makes us even more stronger and we appreciate and learn a lot from many brands. We are committed to making our own mark and market share in this space of smartphones and our recent launches are getting very good feedback and response from the market.

What are your plans for the India market?
We look at mobile phones as a great opportunity and space where we can realise our vision of ‘Touching every individual in India through our presence in every home and office’. Having associated with the computing field all along, smartphones make us more apt to address the market. We are working on ensuring we are one of the top distributed and available brands in the Indian market.