Karbonn (known as Karbonn Mobiles) is an Indian multinational technology company, that manufactures feature phones, smartphones, tablets and mobile phone accessories.[2] The company was founded in March 2009, headquartered in Delhi, India. Karbonn is a joint venture between United Telelinks Ltd., a Bangalore-based firm and Jaina Marketing Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in New Delhi.[2]
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | March 2009 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Products | |
| Services | Electronics manufacturing services |
| Revenue |  ₹650 crore (US$78 million) |
Number of employees | 10,000+ |
| Parent | Jaina Group and UTL Group |
| Website | www |
Karbonn Mobiles also has tie ups with leading telecom players like Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio.[2] Karbonn operates in countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, United Kingdom and parts of Europe.[3]
History
editThe company struck a deal with Eros International, the makers of the Rajinikanth-starrer film Kochadaiyaan (2013). The deal involved the manufacture of five lakh (500,000) items of Kochadaiyaan merchandise with screen savers and images from the film, the trailer, behind-the-scenes shots, the signature tune of the film, and the lead actor's signature on the back cover of phones.[4]
Karbonn ties with online digital entertainment service provider Hungama.com and has an app preinstalled.[5]
In October 2012, Karbonn announced the launch of their brand extension 'Karbonn Smart'. The range included a smart tab and smartphones based on the Android operating system.[6] In February 2014, Microsoft announced Karbonn as a hardware partner of the Windows Phone operating system.[7]
Karbonn Sparkle V is one of the initial Android One phones manufactured by Karbonn Mobiles in cooperation with Google Inc.[8]
Brand
editKarbonn was ranked the 77th most trusted brand in India among 1,200, by The Brand Trust Report 2014, a study conducted by brand analytics company Trust Research Advisory.[9] In the 2017 edition of the report, it stands at the 350th position among 1,000 Indian companies surveyed.[10]
Karbonn is the first Android One phone to be sold in Europe : Karbonn Sparkle V2.[citation needed] The company entered the UK market through Amazon.co.uk
In 2019, Gionee's Indian subsidiary was acquired by the promoters of Karbonn.[11] In 2020 they announced Gionee Mobile as a sub-brand of Karbonn.[citation needed]
In March 2022, Karbonn announced that it would undergo liquidation as the company has been facing a severe revenue decline due to the pandemic.[citation needed]
Revenue
editThe firm's total investment in the Indian consumer market was over US$5 million in the year 2011. The firm contracted with semiconductor companies for their handsets and mainly targeted the Indian market. The firm has over 85,000 retailers and 1000+ service centers (150+ dedicated exclusively for Karbonn) across India. Karbonn Mobiles aims at registering a turnover of ₹4,000 crore during the 2013-14 financial year.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Company Overview of Karbonn Mobile India Private Limited". Bloomberg. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ a b c "Company Overview of Karbonn Mobile India Private Limited". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Karbonn mobiles aims Rs 5,000 crore turnover in current fiscal". www.businesstoday.in. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Eros to present Rajinikanth-starrer Kochadaiyaan". Rediff.com. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Karbonn Mobiles eyeing Rs 4,000 cr turnover in FY 14". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ Saraswathy, M. (12 October 2012). "Karbonn Mobile launches new gadgets under Karbonn Smart brand". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ "Microsoft Announces Bangalore Based Karbonn As New Windows Phone Hardware Partner". 2 April 2014.
- ^ "Karbonn Sparkle V Review Simple, stable and affordable". Digit.in. 22 September 2014.
- ^ "India's Most Trusted Brands 2014". TRA Research. 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015.
- ^ "The Brand Trust Report 2017". TRA Research. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ Mukherjee, Writankar (27 June 2018). "Karbonn promoter, minority shareholder Vohra join hands to buy Gionee India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 August 2023.