Ziox to invest Rs 200 cr in mobile assembly units; plans 4G feature phone

Sushant Singh Rajput is the brand ambassador for Ziox Mobiles

Indian mobile manufacturer Ziox is planning to invest Rs 2 billion in setting up two smartphone assembly units—one each in Sikkim and Noida—while expanding its unit in Delhi. The Delhi-based firm has roped in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput as its brand ambassador as a part of its Rs 1 billion marketing campaign.
 

Ziox mobiles is the technology arm of Sun Airvoice Private Limited which is spread across verticals like real estate and hospitality. Ziox is entirely funded by Sun Airvoice and was launched in 2015. The company has a portfolio of seven smartphones and 34 feature phones. The company launched 'Duopix' , a 4G phone equipped with a wide angle front camera and claims to be the first Indian phone manufacturer to do so.

"We'll be coming up with 4G feature phones soon. Producing quality and price-conscious phones is part of our business plan," said Deepak Kabu, CEO in response to concerns about Jio feature phone.

Ziox's research and development unit is based in China. The company said it plans to sell 10 million units and expects a revenue of Rs 10 billion by the end of this year.

The firm said it plans to enter the consumer durable segment, beginning with locally produced television sets and expand to washing machines and air conditioners and will start with LED TV production first. The durables, like the mobile phones, will be marketed offline and online through various channels like Flipkart, Amazon, Shopclues, etc.

Following Reliance Jio's announcement of launching a 4G enabled feature phone, due to be launched next week, there have been concerns about upheaval in the feature phone market similar to the one telecom operators suffered due to Jio's massive discounts. Other companies in the category are Intex, Micromax, Jivi and Lava apart from a plethora of Chinese vendors. Around 56 per cent of Indian mobile phone users still use basic feature phones, according to a report by the Mobile Marketing Association.