Tom Farrell (left) and Anil Mahajan addressing a press conference yesterday
Leading global mobile handset manufacturer Nokia will work closely with both Qtel and Vodafone as it targets higher market share in Qatar’s smartphone segment with its latest handset N9.
Nokia general manager (Lower Gulf) Tom Farrell yesterday said the company had “concrete plans for growth and taking leadership across the board”.
“Innovation is at the heart of our strategy, particularly with our recent partnership with Microsoft that will create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers’ unrivalled choice and opportunity,” Farrell said in Doha yesterday.
While Nokia faced “challenges” in the smartphone segment, he said the company was confident of increasing its market share with its “trendsetting device” N9.
Nokia’s latest smartphone N9 will be launched in Qatar later this year, he said.
N9 introduces an “innovative new design” where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture- a swipe. With this innovation, there is no need for a home button, which means the screen is “all-encompassing”.
The three home views of the user interface are designed to give “fast access” to the most important things people do with a phone- use apps, stay up to date with notifications and social networks, and switch between activities.
The Nokia N9 also packs the latest in camera, navigation and audio technology for “a great all-round” experience.
Another key mobile handset from Nokia is E6, which is backed by the Symbian Anna platform.
Farrell said, “Nokia developed the E6 to become the essential smart device for anyone looking for seamless on the go social connectivity and engagement. The Nokia E6 also brings a unique touch and type user experience that was designed to help satisfy the different interactivity demands of the most social users, while the new Symbian Anna platform offers a host of usability enhancements, including fresh, new icons, improved text input, easier and faster internet browsing experience.”
Nokia also added to its affordable phone portfolio with the launch of three new devices – the Nokia C2-02, Nokia C2-03 and Nokia C2-06. All three offer a web, maps and messaging experience second to none in the market.
“We underline our commitment and dedication to the Qatari market through our new strategy and introducing our latest products that are at the cutting edge of handset technology and usability. We are very grateful to our distributor in Qatar, CGC who ensure that our customers are able to experience all that Nokia has to offer in the best way possible,” Farrell said.
CGC chief operating officer Anil Mahajan said, “We are very proud to host Tom Farrell and Nokia here in Doha. Our partnership with both Nokia and its customers is incredibly strong and with such a dedicated strategy supported by such fantastic products, we are very confident about Nokia in Qatar.”