GN, the world leader in innovative headset solutions, today announced the launch of 7 new models in the mobile segment Within a year of its full fledged operations in India, GN has already made its presence felt in over 1675 retail outlets across the country, through tie-ups with almost all organized telecom and general product retail formats including, Hotspot, RPG Cellucom, Hypercity, Big Bazaar, Croma amongst others

Commenting on the success of Jabra in the Indian market, Mr Shaz Khan, President – Asia Pacific, GN said, “The response to our headsets has been overwhelming. We started with a target of ensuring our presence in over 1500 POS which today stands at 1675+ POS. Mobile headset business has achieved over 200% volume growth in 2007, contributed largely by organized retail format. We have strengthened our India presence through appointment of dedicated sales team and are now targeting presence of the Jabra brand in over 2200 POS by year end.”

“I am happy to share with you that we have very recently tied-up with Essar Telecom Retail’s ‘The Mobilestore’ which is further going to strengthen our retail presence,” added Khan.

The world leader in headsets solution today also showcased the partial range of its Bluetooth headsets that it is going to introduce in the Indian market this year. This includes BT5010 and BT5020 in the medium priced segment, BT8010 and BT8040 in the premium priced segment, BT3030 in the music segment and BT2010 and BT2020 in the entry level segment.

Mr Khan also presented a glimpse into high-premium headsets by showcasing the Titanium plated, JX20 Pura that has been designed by world famous Jacob Jensen studio – the designers behind the runaway success Bluetooth headset JX10 Cara Gold Limited Edition and Stainless Steel Editions.

GN today has nearly 20% marketshare in the global Bluetooth headset segment through its brand Jabra and has garnered nearly 35% marketshare in the contact center and office segment.

Jabra products today world over are reckoned as one of the most popular and best selling corded, Bluetooth and wireless headsets that have won not just numerous awards but have also won the trust of its customers across different segments. GN is also recognized as one of the largest OEM suppliers of Bluetooth headsets to a number of prestigious mobile handset brands.

“Today we have one of the largest ranges of products across segments that straddle all price points and offer consumers cutting edge technology that not only deliver crystal clear voice-clarity but also new age ergonomic designs. Our range ensures that the Indian consumer has access to a range that not only appeals to their sensory experience but also suits their wallets,” said Khan.

“The APAC region will see the fastest growth rate in adoption of Bluetooth headsets in India in the coming 5 years. The Indian Bluetooth headset market is expected to grow at CAGR 74% as against 48% of China. Further more the Indian market is expected to surpass the combined market size of the Australian continent in the next 3 years alone”, Source IMS Survey, April 2007

Headsets today have evolved to become a category within themselves as against being simply categorized as part of the accessories market. Established branded mobile handset players are today actively looking at making headsets part of their package offering to customers.

GN is leading the hands-free charge and consumers are taking to the new technologies quickly and in ever increasing numbers. According to IMS Research, the worldwide market for Bluetooth headsets in 2007 was approximately 74 million units which is expected to reach 144 million mark by 2010.

Jabra manufactured 29 million headsets in 2007 which works out to around 50 units every minute of the year, or roughly half the total number sold.

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