LG Unveils Range of 3G Mobile Phones in India

LG Electronics became the first mobile phones vendor in India to introduce 3G mobile handsets in the country.

LG's new range of handsets is priced between Rs 16,000- Rs 30,000. LG's four new compact, lightweight and versatile 3G-enabled GSM mobile phone models launched by LG would offer live video streaming, gaming, continuous video recording, downloads, among other features at a speed of 384 kbps as against a GPRS speed of 48 kbps.

The only catch, however, in this story is that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to make its recommendations over spectrum required to launch the 3G mobile service in the country. LG expects that its new mobile handsets will find ready market in India on expectation that the service will be launched soon.

The company plans to start manufacturing 3G-enabled mobile handsets at its Pune plant by early next year. LG officials maintain that the idea behind showcasing latest 3G mobile handsets in India is to make people aware of the plethora of features that the 3G telecommunications technology can offer.

The other features of LG's new 3G mobile phones are multimedia player like MP3, e-mail, video MMS, 72 polyphonic. The models launched in India are U8110, U8120, U8138, U8130. The company has also announced a new value-added service in the form of a new website that will offer ringtones, graphics, games, photos can be downloaded.

LG has a 54 per cent marketshare in 3G mobile handsets in Europe and West Asia. LG Electronics India Ltd., a part of the 30 billion Korean major LG, is aiming at increasing its marketshare in GSM segment by focussing on colour and camera phones.

LG's new extra slim clam-shell mobile handset models stand out because of their live video streaming capability, video conferencing capability, 3D gaming, continuous video recording, auto launch browser, 384 kbps download speed, and USB support.