Samsung, LG Vie in Chinese Premium Mobile Phone Market

Models pose with the industry’s first commercialized TD-SCDMA phone, “L288,” left, while the dual standby phone “W629” is seen on the right.


Two global handset makers, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, are poised to bolster their presence in the fast growing Chinese premium market where the number of mobile subscribers is expected to exceed 500 million by the end of the year.

Samsung will exhibit the industry’s first commercialized TD-SCDMA phones L288 and T578 at the PT ExpoComm China 2007, the largest information communication technology fair in Beijing, China, which is scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday.

In a tailored marketing strategy to appeal to young high-end trendsetters in the mainland, Samsung is to show off its latest ``dual standby’’ D888 and W629 phones. Samsung said these phones will enable users to receive mobile services from other operators without changing existing terminals.

More than 600 companies including Nokia and Motorola will gather for the telecom gala.



LG Electronics will also exhibit its ambitious five-megapixel ``Viewty’’ phone along with black, white and red wine colored ``Chocolate’’ phones at the fair. More than 14 million Chocolate phones have been sold around the world since their debut in 2005.

``With advanced technologies and appealing design, LG will step up efforts to take bigger stakes in the Chinese mobile handset market,’’ said Bae Jae-hoon, a marketing director of LG’s mobile division.

According to a report by CCID Consulting, foreign brands account for more than 70 percent of the Chinese mobile phone market. Nokia leads the market with 36.2 percent, followed by Samsung with 12.4 percent and Lenovo with 6 percent.

LG takes up about 12 percent, but only in the CDMA phone market.

Industry analysts predicted that China’s output of mobile phones will top 500 million units this year and that development of 3G, double module and customized mobile phones will offer greater opportunities to mobile phone manufacturers.

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