The NEC is anxious to come up with its mobiles-and eventually infrastructure equipment-in the rapidly progressing Russian cellular market. Talks are well underway with Russian-based distributors, Chris Shimizu, NEC corporate communication manager, said to the Vedomosti daily of Moscow.
Dealers expect the NEC to focus on medium- and high-price items, which presently account for a token 3.5 per cent of total Russian sales-roughly 100,000 phones a year. Close competition will make the corporation depend on aggressive marketing, says Andrei Malafeyev, CNews analyst.
Dmitri Kuznetsov, Samsung telecommunication manager, is more optimistic about NEC prospects-the corporation is known to Russian consumers, and has considerable experience in the Russian market.
The NEC is coming out with a mere two prone makes to send experts into consternation-the fewer offer the smaller sales. Eldar Murtazin, Mobile Research Group analyst, thinks the company modestly intends to take up a niche of posh and expensive items.
The NEC Corporation presently exports telecommunication equipment to 163 countries. It employs 145,800. Last year's revenues made US$47.3 billion, with $3.67 billion EBITDA and $567 million net profit. Previous NEC exports to Russia were limited to monitors, radio relay and satellite gadgetry, and automated telephone stations.
