Spice Mobility to list VAS arm by next fiscal

Mobile handset-maker Spice Mobility today said it will list its value-added services unit, Spice Digital, on the bourses in FY12.

"The company will look to dilute 20-25 per cent stake in the unit and may go for the listing in the next fiscal year (FY12) after clearing all regulatory hurdles," Spice Mobility Managing Director Dilip Modi told reporters here.

In June this year, Spice Mobiles had merged with parent company Spice Televentures to create Spice Mobility. The move was aimed at consolidating its three businesses -- devices, retail and VAS.

The company today launched three new Android-powered mobile handsets priced at Rs 10,000 onwards.

Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as cellular phones, tablet computers and netbooks.

"The three handsets operating on the Android platform are powered by chipsets from Qualcomm and are priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000," Modi said.

Mi-300 is a 3.5G Android phone equipped with a 3.2-inch touchscreen and 5MP camera, along with customised applications developed by Spice Digital. It is priced at Rs 9,990.

The Mi-410 (mini-tablet) is priced at around Rs 20,000, while Mi-700 will cost Rs 25,000 and will hit the market around October-November this year.

"3G devices like these will go a long way in realising our vision of enabling mobile Internet for all," Qualcomm India and South Asia President Kanwalinder Singh said.