Lava International
Private | |
Industry | Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics |
Founded | 2009 |
Founders | Hari Om Rai, Sunil Bhalla, Shailendra Nath Rai, Vishal Sehgal |
Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Mobile Phones, Smartphones, Tablets |
Revenue | $2.1 Billion (2016) [1] |
Website |
www |
Lava International Ltd. is an Indian mobile handset company with headquarters located in Noida, Delhi NCR.
History
Lava International was established in the year 2003 as Pacetel Communications.[2] In 2009, the company was renamed Lava International. The company launched the world’s first Intel chip-based smartphone.[2] It was founded by Hari Om Rai, Sunil Bhalla, Shailendra Nath Rai and Vishal Sehgal.
Products
In 2012, chip-maker Intel tied up with Lava International to announce the first Intel-powered smartphone in India under the brand name XOLO.[3] In the same year, Lava entered the tablet business with E-Tab Z7H.[4] In 2014, Lava launched its flagship smartphone, Iris Pro 30, the first in the Iris Pro series.[5] Lava Iris X1 was among the earliest smartphones in India to use the Android Kitkat operating system. In December 2014, the company launched its first Windows Phone smartphone, Iris Win1.[6] In July 2016 lava launched X50 smartphone which runs on Android 5.1 lollipop.
Marketing campaigns
Lava joined hands with Interbrand in early 2012, with the TV game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and with the IIFA Awards for its marketing campaigns. For the financial year 2014-2015, the company has planned to invest more than Rs. 220 crores [7] on its marketing activities.
Market share, revenue, and rankings
According to IDC Asia Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker 2014, Lava Mobiles has 8% market share [8] in the Indian mobile phone market. In 2013, the company reported Rs 30 billion ($500 million) approximately in turnover.[9] As of 2014, the company produced about 1.5 million units of mobile devices every month.[9]
Lava ranked as India’s 5th most trusted mobile handset brand by The Brand Trust Report 2014.[10] In the same year, the company was ranked the 4th largest smartphone brand in India by IDC.[11]
Research and development
For designing and developing its products, Lava has set up a complete in-house research and development facility in China.[12] This facility has produced phones such as the Lava Iris Pro 30 as well as the Fusion App, which is available on the Google Play store.
Distribution
Lava has a single-layer distribution model, wherein more than 900 distributors across India are directly managed and controlled by the company.[13]
References
- ↑ "Lava International Ltd. Crossed USD 1 Billion Revenue Mark". Lava International. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
- 1 2 Rajendran, M (26 April 2014). "Homegrown Mobile Phone Makers Bite Big Chunks Off Global Giants". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ↑ Economic Times
- ↑ Times of India
- ↑ Lava Iris fuel
- ↑ http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/lava-iris-win1-with-windows-phone-81-launched-at-rs-4999-628762
- ↑ Rs. 220 crores
- ↑ 8% market share
- 1 2 India’s Lava Plans to Use Indian-Made Handsets to Join Global Smartphone War - Wall Street Journal
- ↑ TRA Brand Trust Report
- ↑ Top 5 smartphone brands in India in 2014 - The Indian Express, 18 August 2014
- ↑ in-house R&D set-up.
- ↑ 900 distributors