041806: O2 to introduce 4 3G-ready PDA-phones

i.t. matters

Tuesday April 18, 2006 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

News

O2 to introduce 4 3G-ready PDA-phones

Handheld maker O2 is set to introduce at most four new models of 3G-ready personal digital assistant (PDAs)-phone in the Philippines this year, as the company plans to strengthen its two-year old brand in the country.

Low Han Thong, new country manager for Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore & Vietnam, told Business World in a recent interview that the new models will be available by third quarter this year.

The 3G technology allows fast transmission speeds for high bandwidth applications such as video calls and video streaming.

This early, 02 and Haldane Phils. Inc., its exclusive local distributor, are now preparing for the commercial launch of Atom Pure, with a suggested retail price of P42,500. This is the latest version of Xda Atom, this time in a shiny white casing.

The Atom model, debuted in January in a smooth piano-black casing has been tagged as the world's smallest multimedia PDA-phone. Its features include a 2.0 megapixel camera, a large 2.7" 262K-color QVGA TFT-LCD touch screen, an FM radio tuner and sports an O2 MediaPlus application, described as the first multi-media center created for PDA-phones.

Despite its premium pricing, Haldane sales director Lavenia P. Revilla said the O2 brand has already penetrated the consumer market. "We were able to capture the corporate market, but we are starting to gain interest from the general market when we introduce the O2 mini. Now, we are seeing an increasing move to the general market with the Atom and the new products which O2 will introduce this year are basically positioned for the general consumers," Ms. Revilla said.

Launched early last year, O2 Xda Mini S is the company's smallest full-function PDA phone at 4 inches by 2.5 inches wide.

In the corporate market, she said O2 has captured a "dominant share" in the pharmaceutical industry and the auto-insurance industry.

Ms. Revilla added that the O2 brand is even digging into the dominant pre-paid market, estimated to account for 95% to 97% of the country's mobile phone users.

"The pre-paid market, which used to buy entry-level phone, is now maturing. Now, they are looking for replacement, looking for gadgets that are beyond the mobile phone. O2 is more than a mobile phone, it has both the features of a mobile phone and a pocket PC," she said.

Going forward, O2, thru Hal-dane, is planning to set up "concept shops" in the country, to showcase O2's entire product portfolio in one store.

This, Ms. Revilla described, will help the company widen the reach of the brand, presently marketed by 20 local partner resellers, a mix of information technology (IT) and consumer electronics stores.

Singapore-headquartered O2 Asia, where the Philippines operation is part, is a member of the mmO2 plc group, a leading provider of mobile communications services in Europe with over 21 million mobile customers.

mmO2 was formed in November 2001 following a demerger from British Telecommunications plc, and is listed on the London and the New York Stock Exchanges. It has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in UK, Germany and Ireland. -- Maricel E. Estavillo