Motorola returns with a vengeance

Motorola Inc. introduced analog cellular phones in the Philippines in the 80s but its market dominance was soon swept away by rival Nokia, which ushered in digital technology. In 2004, Motorola aims to corner 20 percent of the Philippine market share.

"We can do it," said a confident country manager Arlene Amarante, citing Motorola phones’ cutting-edge technology, durability, impeccable style, user-friendly features and above all, several service centers for the needs of Filipino subscribers.

To date, Nokia leads in the Philippine market but Motorola is bent on grabbing Nokia’s market by introducing a far superior cutting-edge technology in its 10 new products.

An estimated four to five million phone units are sold yearly in the Philippines, and Motorola is keen on grabbing a bigger slice of this market.

And as Scott Durchslag, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager for personal communications sector (PCS) in Southeast Asia, said, "We don’t just want to be the second largest cellphone company in the world (next only to Nokia), we want to be number one."

Motorola views the Philippines as a fast-growth market which is very challenging in itself. "You have Metro Manila with a high density of phones but which are predominantly simple and mostly low-end types, while the rest of the archipelago is basically underserved...," Durchslag said.

"And to think that the Philippines is the texting capital of the world. So there is really so much room for us to move and grow in," he added.

Motorola’s PCS reported a strong performance in the first quarter of 2004 with global sales reaching $4.1 billion, up 67 percent compared to the same period last year.

During the quarter, Motorola shipped 25.3 million handsets, up 51 percent from year-ago quarter figures, and improved its market share globally. It also introduced 25 new handsets, 24 of them featuring color displays and 16 with integrated cameras.

Motorola is introducing three basic categories of phones in the Philippines: the Moto Media (under which are the e398, the V80 and C680); the Moto Life (simple text and voice communicators such as the C115, C380 and C650); and the Moto Tech (the ultimate in communications technology for businessmen and professionals who want to work outside their offices, under which the MPX220 and the MPX fall).

Last July 16, Motorola launched the E398 which boasts of an integrated digital camera (VGA quality) with flash; 3D stereo sound via dual speakers; MP3, M1D1 and full music listening: MPEG4 video playback; cool high-tech candy bar design; next-generation removable memory card; rhythm lighting; PIM functionality with picture caller ID; downloadable themes (ringers, images and sounds); Bluetooth wireless technology support; WAP 2.0; and Multimedia Messaging Service and EMS5.0, among other features. A unit costs P19,000.

In the next few months, Motorola will introduce the V80 (worth P24,000) and the C680 (worth P25,000 to P26,000).

Motorola, the second dominant phone company in the world handset business, was founded in 1928 as the US-based Galvin Manufacturing Corp. that produced the battery eliminator. It then became a global leader in wireless, broadband and automotive communications technologies and embedded electronics products.

Two years after its founding, Motorola made the first practical and affordable car radio which helped the Allied Forces to victory in World War II. In the 50s, it pioneered coaxial cable TV systems that ushered in news, information and entertainment for people in remote areas.