ONLY FOR INDIA: Sudhin Mathur (left), General Manager, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication, with actor Yana Gupta unveiling the new models in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Mobile handset manufacturer Sony Ericsson on Thursday unveiled its two entry level handsets — ‘R300i’ and ‘R306i’ — that will be launched in the Indian market in the second half of 2008. The company also said it would increase the number of retail outlets to 300 by 2009. Addressing a press conference, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication General Manager Sudhin Mathur said the two handsets, priced between Rs. 3,500 and Rs. 5,000, had been designed exclusively for India and would be manufactured at its Chennai plant. The new ‘radio phones’ would provide advanced features, including radio recording, VGA/1.3 megapixel camera, bluetooth and GPRS.
According to Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Head (Asia Pacific) Lennard Hoornik: “India is an important market for us. In 2007, we announced plans for manufacturing and R&D in India. To continue the momentum, and to further our commitment in India, I am pleased to announce our very first models designed for the Indian consumer and manufactured in India.” The company had earlier said its manufacturing capacity will touch one crore units by 2009. It now manufactures its J110i, J120i, J121i and W200i models in its Indian facility.