Shenzhen Mobile Phone Makers to Build New Production Lines in India
January 08, 2010
China's SZMCA (Shenzhen Mobile Communication Association) recently signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and entered into separate agreements with more than ten Indian mobile phone distributors on behalf of around 20 Shenzhen-based mobile phone makers, in a bid to prevent rising costs resulting from stricter foreign regulations on Chinese black-market phones, China's Shenzhen Post reported on January 4. To avoid paying as much as US$2,000 per unit to acquire an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number for them to sell phones in India, these Chinese mobile phone makers plan to jointly earmark around 10 million RMB (US$1.47 million; US$1 = 6.8 RMB) for the establishment of ten mobile phone production lines in India. Should these production lines begin operations, the combined capacity of these lines is expected to reach 10 million units annually, according to the same source. Aside from India, Chinese black-market phones were also banned in Pakistan and Spain.