PhoneOne introduces new cheap handsets

The move is to attract customers who are disinclined to ditch their current mobile phones for new ones, due to the uncertain economic situation, PhoneOne marketing manager Sakchai Lertwatechakul said yesterday.

WDS, which distributes both international and PhoneOne handsets, is a subsidiary of Advanced Info Service.

Of the nine new PhoneOne mobile-phone models on a gradual roll-out from this month, four offer a price range between Bt1,000 and Bt5,000 and the others between Bt5,000 and Bt9,000. Most are manufactured in China.

Sakchai said at present, people bought new mobile phones when their existing ones were out of order, unlike earlier when they purchased new ones because they felt an urge to do so.

Despite the slowing economy, PhoneOne revised this year's sales and revenue targets upwards to 800,000 units, with total revenue of Bt1.5 billion from 600,000 units worth Bt1.3 billion. Expected to boost sales is its launch of new low-priced PhoneOne models.

So far in this first half of the year, about 200,000 PhoneOne mobile phones have been sold.

Sakchai said teenagers - PhoneOne's main buyers - have not slowed down their spending on new mobile phones.

Many mobile-phone distributors predict the handset market this year will record slight growth, due to the declining economy. They expect the number of new handsets sold in the market this year to reach 8.5 million to 8.7 million units, up only slightly from 8.4 million last year.