Intex to expand to Spanish market; to launch 3G, 4G phones by mid-year

Domestic handset maker Intex will launch a range of 3G and 4G smartphones in Spain and expand its range of wearables in the Spanish market later this year as it looks to aggressively expand its international business.

The company already has a presence in SAARC and ASEAN countries.

"Intex will be coming with 3G and 4G enabled devices by the mid of 2016. The major focus of the product line will be on LTE 4G devices and wearable segments," Intex Technologies Mobile Business Head Sanjay Kumar Kalirona told PTI.

The company will offer its new health band, FitRist in the Spanish market in April, he added.

"We have strong presence in SAARC and ASEAN countries and have also entered Latin America and Africa markets. This year, we will expand into matured markets like Europe. We have already started with our entry in Spain," he said.

He, however, declined to comment on the domestic- international business revenue mix.

Intex had forayed into the Spanish market in December last year with the launch of its wearable device, iRist.

Initially available on Media Markt, Europe's consumer electronics platform, the company sold over 7,000 units of iRist in Spain.

In India, the company had launched the iRist in partnership with e-commerce major Snapdeal. It sold about 20,000 units in seven working days, Kalirona said.

Talking about launching FitRist, he added that the new wearable is powered with a battery which can last up to 12 days. It comes with a 'Remote Shutter' feature that allows users to control the mobile camera from the band itself.

Priced at Rs 999, the band is also water-resistant and splash proof to prevent from rains and accidental spills.

"We are at a very nascent stage in this segment and are trying to create a product portfolio for the growing Indian market. There are a lot of products being worked upon in our labs and hopefully we should soon be able to create our own portfolio in this segment," he said.

The western market definitely is much developed and wider than India, but this is a developing area of technology products in India, Kalirona said.

The global wearable device market more than doubled to 27.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, fuelled by the growing popularity of fitness trackers and Apple watch, according to research firm IDC.

For the full year, vendors shipped a total of 78.1 million units, up 171.6% from 28.8 million units in 2014.

"With a slew of so many launches and newer products entering the market, the wearable market has seen a major quarter on quarter growth and will surely see more growth... In future, we will be having strong and wider product roadmap in wrist band as well as wrist watches," he said.

The company will also explore offline retail for the wearables category in the second phase, Kalirona said.