Samsung says that it expects to sell up to 29 million handsets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by the end of 2008 - up from the 7.5 million units sold in 2006. Roh Kwang-bae, Samsung's senior sales and marketing manager for the MENA said that the company also expects to have sold over 14 million handsets by the end of this year.
The company plans to introduce a range of lower cost handsets targeting the region by the end of this year - expecting to pick up increased sales in Africa.
"In the past we focused on the premium market, but now we will expand to the entry-level market," he told the Khaleej Times newspaper, stressing that low-priced Samsung products would have high-quality but limited features.
The company has seen its sales increase over the past year since it signed a distribution deal with Axiom in Saudi Arabia, as well as the UAE and Egypt. The company is also stepping up sales efforts in Iran, despite high import tariffs which are designed to protect a small home-developed handset market.
He concluded by noting that Samsung has around a 17-18 per cent market share for its mobile phones in the Middle East, Iran and Pakistan.
On the web: Khaleej Times
Posted to the site on 11th November 2007
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/27313.php