Mobile Communications - LG Separates Greater China from Asia Region Operations
May 28, 2004
LG Electronic's handset division is reorganizing the structure of its Asia operations, creating a separate unit for the Greater Chinese region. The company will also be integrating CDMA and GSM R&D and marketing, as LG hopes to transfer its CDMA successes into the GSM segment. LG expects the reorganization to more effectively synchronize times-to-market between Taiwan and China.
By the third quarter of 2004, LG's global operations will be divided in into six markets: Korea, North America, Latin America, Europe, Greater China, and other Asia-Pacific areas. R&D centers have already been deployed in Korea, Europe, the US, and China, while LG is considering setting up a new site in Brazil to rollout offerings geared toward the Latin American market.
The company is currently evaluating the rollout of 1X EVDO CDMA phones in the Taiwanese market. In China, the total 2004 target for LG-Langchao co-branded handsets has been set at five million units, a 150% increase from the level seen in 2003. GSM phones, which the company began shipping in 2004, comprise roughly 40% of this goal.