Smartphones are becoming an integral part of people?s daily lives. With the Indian smartphone industry under greater competition than ever before, many handset players today realise that innovation in the handsets space is important for business growth. Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC is a recognised pioneer in smartphones. Bolstered by strong sales of its feature-rich phones, HTC has steadily gained market share in the Indian mobile handsets market. ?We recognise that, for our customers, a mobile device isn?t just a smartphone but an audio-visual entertainment system, communications control centre and important instrument of individual expression, all in one,? says Faisal Siddiqui, country head, HTC India. The company continues to build on an already impressive list of innovations. Recently, it unveiled its HTC One series of smartphones, consisting of an amazing camera, authentic sound and an advanced media link high definition display. In a recent interaction with Ankita Rai, Faisal talks about the business strategy for increasing the presence in India. Excerpts:

HTC has been a late entrant in the Indian mobile handset market. Share with us the mantra for success.

We are among the top three players in India?s smartphone segment today. We have been in the Indian market for past six years now. Globally, we are known as smartphone manufacturers and we brought smartphones to Indian consumers. In fact, we have launched many handsets and are still working to provide the best to our end consumers. Our mantra for success is that we have regularly introduced many critically acclaimed mobile devices under our own brand. We have always been and will be designing the best handsets in the market and provide our customers with customised solutions.

India?s smartphone market is super hot these days with global as well as domestic players launching handsets on a regular basis. What will be your strategy to tap it and what are the initiatives you have in mind for increasing the presence in India?

We have been in India since the inception of HTC as a brand. The first touchscreen HTC phone was launched six years back. We are known for designing smartphones. Our strength lies in building smartphones; we don?t make any other phone. A strong focus on product design with performance, endurance, craftsmanship, and intuitive tools and interfaces ensures an elegant experience in a beautiful, minimalist package.

We pay minute attention to details. HTC Explorer was designed especially for the Indian market. We have put support for 6-7 Indian languages, which will eventually be expanded to 17 languages. We have paid attention to Indian experience. So we are designing phones for the Indian market. HTC Explorer retails for R9k and has received a good response. The Indian smartphone market is expected to grow at 60-80% for the next 3-4 years. India is a high growth market and it goes without saying that it is a high growth market for us.

What are going to be the focus areas for HTC in India?

Two years back, our price point was much higher. Now we have a R10,000 price point. We have a portfolio of 12-15 products in that entire price range. It is a very healthy portfolio. We want to keep bringing the best phone and good experience to consumers. The plan for the Indian market is to bring different types of handsets to the varied consumer portfolio. We plan to expand our distribution network and service centres across India. Lastly, we will be expanding our reach to different channels, including online.

How important is India for HTC from a global perspective?

India is a key and strategic market for HTC. Our India business has shown very high growth rate in last one year. We are investing aggressively in business expansion. We are launching products almost at the same time as anywhere else. HTC One was launched on April 2 and at the same time it was launched globally. In fact, it was not even launched in some of the developed markets. This shows that India is a key growth market for us.

How have you tried to differentiate yourself from other mobile handset players?

We have emphasised on many customised solutions for our consumers. Experience on the phone with amazing camera and authentic sound and HTC Sense are just a few to name. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the mobile experience. We believe that you need great audio quality to be able to truly enjoy entertainment?be it music, movies or games?and we wanted to allow everyone to experience this on our phones. For instance, bringing Beats? unique studio sound to HTC smartphones means you can now enjoy the sound the way the artists intended while on the go.

What was the main driving force behind investing in Beats Electronics?

We have integrated Beats technology into every aspect of music. It is about getting our consumers the best experience. Why would you listen to music that is sub-optimal? With Beats technology, you get to listen to music the way an artist would have want you listen. Beats? ecosystem brings that experience.