Snom India plans assistance centre

Shipra Arora / New Delhi

Three months into the launch of its Indian operations, Berlin-based VoIP phone manufacturer Snom AG is planning to outsource its entire global support function to its Indian subsidiary, Snom Technology India. Over the next few months it is also planning to enhance its product portfolio considerably with a new range targeted at the home segment.

The company, whose strength lies in its range of interoperable VoIP phones based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) code, is presently focusing on building its presence in the Indian market as well as leveraging its cost advantage for global operations. According to Christian Stredicke, executive board member at Snom Technology AG, the company will be outsourcing support for all its global customers to India. This will include providing both level one and level two of support over phone. The support activities will be provided by Snom’s technical assistance centre (TAC) in Bangalore, which is in the process of being set up. The global TAC will be operational in the next five to six months. The company is planning to increase its headcount to 63 by year 2005.

The Indian subsidiary is also planning to set up its unit in Electronics Hardware Technology Park in Bangalore. Operational in July this year, the unit will be assembling products catering for to the Indian, SAARC, Middle East and South East Asian markets.

Also on the company’s roadmap for the year 2003 is the setting up of its channel base. Its two-pronged channel strategy involves addressing the market through OEMs and tier-two channel partners. Karthik Natarajan, managing director of India & SAARC for Snom Technology said that the company is targeting around 60 tier-two channel partners in India by the year-end. Snom is presently also in talks with various companies for OEM partnerships. Alcatel, the global reseller for Snom, will be catering to the Indian market as well. Though refusing to give out the names of other OEMs that the company is in talks with, Natarajan maintained that it is targeting those players who are into the EPBX, telephony and computer businesses.

“There is potential for VoIP in the Indian home market in the near future. VoIP in this segment will be largely driven by international calls,” said Stredicke. However, the major focus for the company, in terms of market segments, is on small and medium enterprises, a segment that is likely to contribute more than 50 percent of the Indian subsidiary’s total business in the next one year.