New Delhi: Optiemus Infracom, which makes BlackBerry phones for the Indian market, plans to line up new devices across various price points in the coming months as it looks to regain lost ground against rivals like Samsung, Xiaomi and others.
The company is also designing its communication campaign to highlight the privacy features offered by BlackBerry phones as it attempts to woo customers amid growing concerns around privacy and security of personal data.
"We are looking at unveiling (new) models across various price points and we are trying to make them more competitive (price-wise). We have a long-view here," Optiemus Infracom Executive Director Hardip Singh told PTI. BSE-listed Optiemus Infracom has a manufacturing and distribution tie-up with BlackBerry for India and neighbouring markets.
"The relevance of a Blackberry is much, much more today than it was 10 years back because today you are doing more than just communicate -- you use phones for social networking, banking, personal data, photographs. The need to keep all this data private and secure is much more now," Singh said.
He added that the company's campaign is going to focus on privacy and security of data because "that is what makes a Blackberry stand out". Once a dominant player in the smartphone category, BlackBerry struggled to compete against global competitors like Samsung and Apple. It, then, agreed to license its brand to handset manufacturer, TCL and Optiemus.
BlackBerry has taken a number of steps, including adopting the Android platform for powering its phones in attempts to re-capture its position. India is one of largest smartphone markets globally. Samsung and Xiaomi dominate the Indian market, while players like vivo and Oppo have strong market share.
Optiemus has launched 'BlackBerry KEY2' today for the Indian market at Rs 42,990. The device, which will be available from July 31, is powered by Android Oreo operating system and Qualcomm chipset.
Featuring a 4.5-inch screen and a keypad, KEY2 has 6G RAM, 64GB internal memory (expandable up to 256GB), 12MP rear dual camera and 8MP front camera and 3,500 mAh battery.
"In the wake of current data breaches across the globe and here in India, consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their information, especially on mobile. KEY2 has the best of BlackBerry's software and security. BlackBerry is the most secure Android device available today," he said.
