LG answers the call

To target the burgeoning youth market, global and regional digital leader has launched the trendy GSM handset, LG C3400, a phone bound to be a style statement among youngsters.

Armed with an MP3 player, the sleek clamshell phone is packed to the hilt with cool features including a high resolution built in camera of 640 X 480 pixels and colour display with 65536 colors. The battery provides three and half-hours of talk time and up to 200 hours of stand by time. The dual band GSM 900/1800 MHz handset also features internal 65K-LCD screen and is Arabic enabled. Java applications support, GPRS, 40-tone polyphonic ring tones, SMS, MMS, EMS, personal organiser featuring calendar, clock, alarm, world time, currency converter, calculator, phone book and games are other rich features included in the phone.

"Youth drive the mobile phone revolution - it is demand from young people that helps mobiles overtake fixed line telephony in the region. The biggest problem any potential mobile phone user faces is, surprisingly, choice. Gone are the days where phones the size of a brick ruled. Today, mobile phone makers have successfully combined technology and lifestyle needs in one tiny gadget. In mobile technologies, music is an area that is developing very quickly, and very successfully. This is something LG has tried to capitalise on with the C3400," said C H Lee, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE.

"We are targeting the C3400 specifically at the youth. It's competitively priced and its slim, compact design will, we are sure, find an enthusiastic following. It complements our existing GSM range which appeals to the higher-end of the market," he added.

GCC sales of camera phones are growing at the fastest rate in the world, according to international research. Camera phones now account for 40 per cent of the region's mobile phone sales. According to IDC estimates, there are 1.35 billion cell phones in use in the world today. By 2008 there should be two billion wireless subscribers in the world; this is 30 percent of the projected global population.

"LG is a company that has the technical expertise to drive mobile technology to unprecedented levels. Our commitment to enabling mobile entertainment will drive our business strategy and growth in the mobile phone segment this year. We are targeting sales of US $ 300 million in handsets in the Middle East and Africa region this year; globally we expect to register a 50 percent growth to seize the No. 3 spot in handsets in two years. Within five years, LG wants half of its sales to come from handsets, up from 28 per cent in 2004," said Lee.

In the GSM mobile segment, LG has achieved 8.9 percent growth and posted sales of US $ 160 million last year compared to US $ 147 million in 2003. The company has become a serious competitor in the region's mobile market by introducing niche products to meet specific customer needs like the Qiblah phone, the world's first handset with Qiblah and Azan functions.