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‘Connecting the Unconnected’- Mr. Yogesh Bhatia, MD, S.G.Corporate Mobility (DETEL).

An exclusive interview with IT.Voice  Mr. Yogesh Bhatia, MD, S.G.Corporate Mobility (DETEL).reveals his strategies for business in India .

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia, MD, S.G.Corporate Mobility (DETEL)

Nisha Harshwal:-What kind of distribution network you are planning?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-We are planning for Pan India distribution for our brand DETEL so that we can satisfy the huge customer need at the earliest. DETEL has made the mobile phone accessible to the Indian customers at Value-For-Money pricing with good quality products.

Nisha Harshwal:-How Detel is positioned in Indian market?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-We entered the Indian feature-phone market with our brand Detel in 2016. India is an economy where over 22 percent of the population is below the poverty line. For a matter of fact, when a range of foreign brands and Indian brands are tapping into the Indian Smartphone market big time, it’s quite surprising that over 70 percent of the market is still untapped. With the vision of connecting the unconnected 40 crore people, we took the initiative to bring such phones to the people who could not afford a phone but dreamt that one day they too would buy a phone can now own and speak on one for the first time. Therefore, our first product Detel D1 hit the market in the year 2017. Our Detel D1 was launched with the tagline- ‘Lo Kar Lo Baat’ for just Rs 299, in August 2017, which has seen tremendous response across the length and breadth of the country. With such tremendous response we have developed an even stronger vision; thereby we are all set to bring disruption in the Indian feature phone market.  

Nisha Harshwal:-As a growing market, how would you appraise the “EARPHONE WITH MIC”?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-Earphones with mic help you to do the things you want to do, without the hassle of mucking around with phones, pockets and cases. And because they’re compatible with all smart phone devices, Tablets, other gadgets you can use the same with your every gadget.These can be used for calling purpose, listing songs, watching videos, etc. on the go without disturbing any one.

Nisha Harshwal:-How was the Market in India?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-Looking at the market scenario, the feature phone market is consolidated with few key vendors. However, we can also see the emergence of new brands.  India is a price sensitive market and the consumers especially in Tier- 2, 3 markets, and in rural areas are cautious about their spending behavior. Owing to the functional benefits that these phones provide, it has become a significant instrument in ‘Connecting India’.

As we are working mainly in the Rural market, with the support from government organization-BSNL, we see a huge potential in the market where the feature phone market is still propelling as it has been untapped owing to the recent boom in the smartphone industry. While urban population is increasingly growing tech savvy, consumers from small towns and rural areas are still only marginally exposed to the technological advancements of the world. And the basic need for a phone is to make and take calls for majority of people in these areas.

Nisha Harshwal:-How has the advancement been for the range of Detel products?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-We have been selling feature phones since 2 Years. We have always believed in customer satisfaction, which is being taken care of by our vast network of 300 plus service centre span India.

Overwhelmed by the successful results of our recent tie-up with BSNL, which has more than 100 million mobile customers, 10 million broadband customers, and 16 million landline customers, it has immensely helped us in creating a greater impact in the minds of the people and to build an even more trustful relationship with them, and, we welcome more strategic tie-ups and alliances to work collaboratively with other brands who share the same ideology as us.

We are establishing our own brand; however, on our journey towards ‘Connecting the Unconnected’, we are open for any new partnerships and strategic tie-ups that will help us expand our reach to the nooks and corners of the country.

Nisha Harshwal:-Are you planning any more products for Indian market?     

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-We recently expanded our product portfolio with the launch of LED TVs and Smart LED TVs by Detel. We are planning to launch more products in Phased manner.

Nisha Harshwal:-What are some of the points where Detel products score over the competing forces in India as well as globally?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-No other Brand in India is offering Feature Phone at such competitive price point , with the specifications we are offering, such as 1.44″ Monochrome Display, 650 mAh Battery, Torch Light, Phonebook, FM Radio, Speaker, Vibration Mode, Panic Button, Talking feature etc.

We are ahead of others in the race of providing communication services in the most cost-effective manner. We aim to tap the untapped section who still feels that owning a phone is a luxury.

Nisha Harshwal:-What are some of the trends that the industry is going to see in year ahead?

Mr. Yogesh Bhatia:-After a decade of rapidly growing smartphone sales cooled off last year, the feature phone devices made a big comeback. Entry of the new vendors has extended the feature phone supply since past few quarters, and the market is expected to grow significantly. Once growing at a breakneck pace, smartphone sales slowed considerably in 2017 to 14 per cent, analyst firm Counterpoint Research reckons.

According to the recent report by Counterpoint, Globally, the smartphone market grew only 2% last year to almost 1.6 billion devices shipped, while feature phone shipments rose 5% to 450 million devices. It was the slowest growth on record for smartphones and the first time the feature phone market posted growth in years.

The feature phone market is still a big point of interest for every brand owing to the fact that it is still welcomed by majority of people in tier 2, 3 & 4 cities due to its functional benefits, combined with durability, battery life, and the ease of repairing them. Other Indian handset makers like Intex, Micromax and Lava, too, are targeting this set of consumers.