Feature
Chinese firm to launch AC, fridge and washing machines in India next year
New Delhi: After disrupting India’s mobile phone market with brands such as itel, TECNO and Infinix, Transsion Holdings is all set to launch in 2019 its entire range of consumer durables, including televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, under the Syinix brand, the China-based company’s India CEO has said.
The company is currently doing “market testing” in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with the launch of a 32-inch LED TV for Rs 13,999 and a 40-inch Smart TV at Rs 24,999.
“The initial results of market testing in Rajasthan and eastern Uttar Pradesh have been very good. Generally in consumer durables, companies offer one-year warranty, but Syinix offers 24 + 1 months warranty.
“We will also soon launch 49-inch and 55-inch smart 4K UHD (ultra-high-definition) TV,” Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of Transsion India, told media persons in an interview.
“We will keep the pricing extremely competitive. Unlike other brands that tend to focus only on key cities, our main focus is tier 2,3,4,5 and 6 markets,” Talapatra said, adding that the company was also planning to set up a research and development (R&D) centre in India next year.
Transsion entered the India market in April 2016 with the itel brand which quickly struck the right chord with the consumers in the county’s small towns and cities who were looking for feature-rich, low-cost mobile phones. The itel brand registered over 200 per cent growth that year.
Encouraged by the widespread acceptance of the brand in the very first year of operations in India, the company launched in 2017 two other popular mobile phone brands TECNO and Infinix, besides its smart accessories brand oraimo. The company also introduced an exclusive after-sales service brand, Carlcare.
While the itel brand is positioned for the sub-Rs 6,000 market, the TECNO brand caters to the Rs 6,000 to Rs 14,000 market and Infinix phones are available in the Rs 6,000 to Rs 20,000 range.
Chinese company to launch AC, fridge and washing machines in India during 2019:
“By bringing smart devices at affordable price, we are democratising technology. As a brand we are trying to build consumer confidence and goodwill. We want our products to go to the masses,” Talapatra added.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), Transsion retained its position as one of the top five smartphone sellers in the country as its offline-focused TECNO branded phones grew by 26 per cent, followed by itel with 14 per cent quarter-over-quarter growth in the second quarter of 2018.
The online exclusive brand Infinix grew by 45 per cent, registering an overall 53 per cent year-over-year (YoY) growth for the company.
In 2018, Transsion was included in Facebook and KPMG’s list of top 50 Chinese cross-border brands.
“In 2019, we will bring triple camera phone, better specifications and notch display,” Talapatra said, adding that the company was prepared to move to the 5G ecosystem along with the industry.
Established in 2006, Transsion has made its presence felt in some of the biggest emerging market economies across the world. In 2017, the company sold approximately 130 million devices and achieved revenue of around 20 billion Yuan (Rs 21,000 crore) globally.
“India is our key focus area and we are committed to the ‘Make in India’ programme,” Talapatra said, while referring to its manufacturing unit in Noida.
“We started with CBU (completely-built-up) and moved to SKD (semi-knocked-down). We are now moving to CKD (completely-knocked-down) and by 2019, we will be 100 per cent CKD,” he said.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.