Sony India ready to launch WiMax-enabled laptops

Electronics major Sony India is ready with WiMAX-enabled offerings for the domestic market, but will wait for the Union government to complete the wireless broadband spectrum allocation process before launching the products.

"Once the 3G auctions takes place and private players come into the space, we will come out with our products, which will have WiMAX chips embedded into them. These will be prices between Rs 35,000 to Rs 65,000," Sachin Thapar, division head, IT, Gaming and Mobile Business at Sony India said here on Tuesday.

WiMAX technology provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of modes, including point-to-multipoint links as well as portable and fully mobile internet, to enable the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access. It is widely seen as an alternative to wireline broadband at remote areas.

Meanwhile, the company said that it intends to rake in about Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) in sales in another two years by capturing 20 per cent of the domestic consumer notebook space.

"By the end of this financial year, we expect our market share to reach 9 per cent and by March 2011, we want to have 20 per cent of the entire notebook market, in value terms, which will translate into about 2 lakh units per year. Although the sub-Rs 45,000 range will be our volume driver, we will continue to focus across the board," Thapar said.

The firm also expects the netbook segment to grow robustly and contribute about 12 per cent of its overall revenue by 2011.