LG to Launch Stylish Chocolate Mobile Phone in Europe

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

2:30 am on March 22, 2006 | Category: Mobile Devices

South Korean cell phone maker, LG Electronics, is hoping to break into Europe’s GSM wireless market this year with its new “Chocolate” mobile phone.

LG has already sold 300,000 units of this stylish slider to customers in Korea, but hopes to make a successful entrance into the European market, where most phones are based on GSM wireless technology.

Although LG is the #4 handset maker worldwide, it sells mostly advanced CDMA phones in Korea and North America. This has greatly limited its performance in other parts of the world, and left it far behind in the market for GSM phones, which are used by two thirds of mobile subscribers.

The new chocolate-colored phone has a cool sliding design with a touch-sensitive keypad, and is targeted mainly towards style-conscious customers in European markets.

“The model caters to the replacement market where fashion is as much a factor in purchasing decision as function, but it remains to be seen whether European users will adopt it with the vigor that Korean consumers have embraced it,” said Gartner analyst, Ben Wood.

LG is expected to launch the new phone in May, and reportedly wants to get the model off to a head start before its design is copied by competitors.