Nokia eyes higher sales with new Lumia line

MANILA, Philippines - Nokia (Philippines), Inc is optimistic that sales of its smartphones will rise this year as it rolls out new products that can provide greater connectivity for all segments of the market.

Dharmesh Goshalia said in an interview with The STAR yesterday that Nokia is set to launch four new smartphones or the Lumia products in the country this year in line with its focus on regaining a share of the smartphone market as well as maintaining its leadership in mobile phones.

“In terms of anticipation, Filipino consumers are really anticipating these products in the market. We believe it is the right products targeting the right segments as well for this market and we will definitely be seeing growth in the smartphone share,” he said.

Nokia will be launching the Lumia 610, 700, 800 and 900, which were all developed with Microsoft.

All four smartphones, he said, provides consumers better experience in terms of the usability of the phone as well as in the buying, sharing and downloading of applications.

Nikka Abes, corporate communications manager of Nokia Philippines, in a separate interview added that all four phones would not only allow consumers to express themselves, but are also designed to perform according to the needs of the consumers.

“Lumia keeps people closer. You can see your Facebook, Twitter and Linked In updates all in one page,” she said.

The smartphones, Abes said, would allow users to share photos on their social networking accounts much faster than any smartphone available in the market today.

She said those who are more on the business would side can also set up their email in seconds and make use of the office hub which allows them to view and edit Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents.

She said the Lumia phones also allow users to automatically back-up their files to SkyDrive, which is like a cloud storage.

The Lumia smartphones, she said, likewise allow the easy transfer of contacts from old phones making it more convenient for consumers to use.

Goshalia said that while smartphones usually cater to the high-end market, the Lumia phones are available for all segments of the market.

“It caters to four different segments, you have the low-end and high-end,” he said.

Abes said that apart from the features of the smartphones, Nokia is optimistic of increasing their sales of smartphones this year as the new devices are more affordable for the market.

“The price is also a factor as to why we are upbeat on smartphone sales this year,” she said.

The Lumia 610, which is for the low-end market, she said, wouldl be sold at a price not more than P12,000 while the Lumia 900 would be available at a price close but below P30,000.

She said the Lumia 710, meanwhile is available exclusively from Smart Communications, while the Lumia 800 can be bought from Globe Telecommunications.

The Lumia 710 and 800, are being launched this month, while the 610 and 900 models will be available within the quarter.

Goshalia said Nokia is also looking to introduce other products in the country this year, such as the 808 Pure View, which has a 41 megapixel camera.