Sony Mobile becomes the No. 3 French smartphones

Sony Mobile has sold over a million units in France in 2012, and 8.7% market share in volume, behind Apple and Samsung.

Sony Mobile, a subsidiary of Sony mobile phones, said it had reached the third place in smartphone sales in France in late 2012, despite an unfavorable environment. It has the strengthen in 2013. "In nine months of presence on the market, the balance of Sony Mobile has been very positive," said the CEO of Sony France Mobile, David Mignot, during a press conference Tuesday.

The year 2012 was, however, difficult on the French market, disrupted by the arrival of a fourth operator, Free, who broke the price. "We do 80% of our business with incumbents who have been tempted to reduce subsidies on mobile as well as the number of reference products", he added.

8.7% market share in France
However, the 13.3 million smartphones sold on the French market in 2012, Sony Mobile "has sold more than a million", placing himself behind the truck market, Apple and Samsung, with 8.7% market share in volume and 7.1% in value recorded in October, said Mignot.

The Japanese manufacturer plans to sell over 15 million smartphones in the French market in 2013 and the "strong ambition to become a major player in smartphones and reach 15 to 20% market share in France to consolidate ( its) third place, "said General Manager France.

"The only brand that can compete with Apple and Samsung"
"Sony is the only brand that can compete with Apple and Samsung in the premium segment with products like services," he insists. In fact, Sony Mobile will launch in 2013 of high-end smartphones benefiting from the "best" of its parent regarding screens, music, photography and games, all with a "real break" at the design compared to ten Xperia smartphones released in 2012 and still very marked by joint work with Ericsson, says the brand.

To differentiate Sony Mobile will develop a single user interface, smartphone television via the tablet PC, and easy connectivity services to music, games and videos through its platform Sony Entertainment platform. To simplify the sharing of content of a product to another, Mobile Sony decided to use NFC (contactless) by equipping its smartphones, its shelves, but the speakers or headphones that are chip enabled simply by bringing the two devices from one another.

To promote these innovations, the group plans to double its communication budget in 2013.

Sony has completed in February 2012 the redemption of its ally Swedish Ericsson in their joint venture Sony Ericsson mobile phones, which is now under the name Sony Mobile Communications a 100% subsidiary of Japanese electronics group.

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