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| Micromax is thinking of expanding operations in more countries for a while but January 2014 is going to be the month when this finally happens. |
"Yes, we have global ambitions and I can promise you that we are going to take Russia by storm. We are going to show that an Indian company can also succeed on the global scale," said Sharma.
This is first time Micromax, or for that matter a big Indian phone company, is showing its products at CES, considered to be the biggest consumer electronics show on earth.
Micromax is introducing a new tablet for the first time at CES. The tablet, called LapTab, is a hybrid device that runs full version of Windows as well as Android, allowing users to switch between laptop-like functionality and tablet-like functionality. While the initiative to create this kind of hybrid device is spearheaded by Intel, Micromax is one of the first companies in the world to partner with Intel for the hybrid device.
LapTab is likely to launch in India in February. According to Micromax it will be priced less than $500.
In Russia, Micromax will use the same strategy that has enabled it to become India's second biggest smartphone seller.
Sharma said there was demand for affordable smartphones and tablet that were good value for money in all countries. "We already sell phones in SAARC countries. For rest of the world, we want to start with Russia. Once we have gained foothold there, we will move to other countries in East Europe," he said. "Russia is our gateway to Europe."
The company has already hired 10 senior-level executives in Russia. It plans to have a local office in the country. Recently, it hired Hugh Jackman, a popular Hollywood actor known for his role as Wolverine, to promote its phones.
Micromax and other Indian phone companies like Karbonn and Lava have benefited from the demand for affordable Android devices. They have used Android to take on the companies like Samsung that are much bigger successfully. According to IDC, in Q3, 2013 Micromax was the second biggest smartphone company in India with a market share of around 17%. Karbonn was third with a market share of around 11% while Lava entered the list of top smartphone companies for the first time and was fifth with a market share of around 4.7%.
But challenges for local phone companies have remained. Users often complain of poor aftersales service by them and the phones released by these companies rarely receive a software update.
Sharma said that Micromax was aware of the problems and was hard at fixing them. "For Canvas Turbo (the company flagship phone), we offer on-site pick and drop service if something goes wrong with the device. We are aware that in the long run a company cannot be a big and reputable brand if it doesn't offer good aftersales service," he said. "I can promise that within six you will see a much improved aftersales service from Micromax."
Sharma also dismissed Moto G, an affordable smartphone that Motorola, which is a Google-owned company, was scheduled to launch in India this month. "We have managed to compete with multinational companies for the last five years and have maintained our leading position in the market. One more device from a multinational company is not going to change that," he said. "The players in the market will keep on changing but we will keep on doing what we are good at."
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