Dopod International Corp (多普達), which sells branded mobile phones based on Microsoft Corp's system, aims to further boost handset sales this year by tapping into emerging markets, a company executive said yesterday.
"We are bullish about the second half as we will get a boost from emerging markets such as India," Dopod executive official Jack Tong (
Though low-priced handsets are the best-sellers in emerging markets, Dopod still hoped to expand its reach there, Tong said, adding that any small gains would be good for the start-up company.
Dopod handsets are priced at NT$15,000 (US$456.48) on average.
Dopod early this month set up a branch office in New Delhi, India, and plans to start shipping handsets there next month, Tong said. The company also plans to establish another branch office in Russia in the fourth quarter of the year, he added.
During the first half of this year, Dopod achieved around 40 percent of its revenue target, Tong said, declining to reveal details.
The unlisted Dopod is due to be merged with High Tech Computer Inc (HTC, 宏達電), the world's top maker of mobile phones operating on Microsoft's system, by the end of this year in a deal worth up to US$150 million.
Dopod, which aims to be a leading mobile phone vendor in the Asia-Pacific region, hopes to triple handset sales to 1 million units this year from 300,000 last year.
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