By mid 2013, Intel is likely to get inside several smart-phones in the country.
The US-based chipmaker is partnering two handset-makers in India to develop a range of smart-phones that use Intel chips . The handsets will be priced from Rs 7,000 onwards and include premium offerings.
Intel, which entered into the mobile chip making segment in India through a partnership with Lava, has developed the ‘Lava Xolo’ that was released earlier this year. It now competes with other chip-makers such as Qualcomm, Samsung and Mediatek.
According to Debjani Ghosh, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel South Asia, the handsets will be available from the middle of next year. The phones will be touch-screen. It will be based on Google’s Android operating system (OS).
“The first handset with Lava that we launched was a premium one. We learnt that it was important to have a portfolio and offer choice to the user. We will not have entry-level handsets ,” Ghosh said while speaking on the sidelines of Infocom — an IT summit.
She, however, did not specify whether the tie-ups were with Indian original design manufacturers (Indian handsets vendors) or international original equipment makers. The partnership with Lava will continue.
Globally, Intel has a tie-up with handset-makers and telcos such as ZTE, Motorola, Lenovo and Orange among others.
Partnership model
According to Ghosh, the company follows a reference design system where it provides the handset-maker with all the specifications, including the handset design. Manufacturers can build their own smart-phone incorporating Intel’s chipset. This model is followed in India.
The other one, followed globally, is the kit model where the company sells the technology to the handset-maker.
Tablet space
While Intel has dominated the PC and laptop segment, its entry into the smart-phone space has been delayed. The company is also eyeing an entry into the tablet space .
The new tablet PCs, Ghosh said, to be developed on the Android OS will be ‘competitively priced’ and are likely to be launched around early 2013.
“We are working across multiple platforms; very soon you will see a product portfolio across different price ranges,” Ghosh said, without divulging details.
Intel has already developed chips for tablet PCs manufactured by Acer and Samsung that run on Windows 8.