Motorola India R-D to develop 50 new phones

Bangalore, June 16: The Indian Research and Development and software centre of Telecom major Motorola will come out with 50 new mobile phones during this year, besides playing a major role in development of other telecom systems, its Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice-President Padmashree Warrior said today.

Ms Warrior, who reviewed the functioning of Motorola's major software centre here, told newspersons that these mobile phones would be both in GSM and CDMA technology, besides 3G.

She said she would also take up with the Indian authorities the need to leapfrog to the next generation of technology 4G and stay in tune with the rest of the world, instead of pursuing 3G.

Stating that the Indian Software Centres of the company in six areas in Bangalore and Hyderabad were contributing to nearly 40 per cent of the software requirement of the new mobile handsets of Motorola, she said the latest offering Motorola Q, which was launched in the US (in the unlicenced frequency area), was being customised to Indian operators. It would be released in the country soon, she added.

The Indian Software engineering strength of the company was 3500, of which 750 were in Hyderabad and the rest in Bangalore. This would be increased to 4000 by the end of the year. ''We will grow much faster, but for the infrastructure problems in the country,'' she said.

Ms Warrior said last year Motorola had invested Rs 85 crore in India and the investment would continue to grow by 15 to 20 per cent every year. ''For Motorola Indian operations are very critical,'' she added.

Referring to the multicrore investment Motorola would be making in a manufacturing base in Chennai, she said that besides handsets, it would also be making other equipment, inculding network boxes and set top boxes, both for domestic market and exports. The plant would have a capacity of producing one million handsets a month.

Ms Warrior, who highlighted the new generation technologies that would be pursued by the company, said Motorola's research pursuits would enable it to introduce in Indian market, handsets priced under 30 US Dollars.

She informed that last year the Indian operations had contributed to 50 patents.

UNI