Around 25 to 30 per cent of its total revenue is generated from the sale of mobile handsets. It is planning to launch WAP (Web Application Protocol) phones in the market "very soon", according to Ranjivit Singh, director, consumer products and communications. Though Singh did not specify the intended date of launch, he said that the company plans to be in the mass market "quickly" and well before the year end. With Internet and mobile telephony converging, Singh feels, Ericsson will emerge as a leading player in the hi-tech market.

The company has recently bagged a big contract for supplying Internet infrastructure equipment like routers, hubs and nodes to the Department of Telecommunication Services. This will involve supplying access equipment in 250-circles across 10 cities in the country. Without commenting on the contract value, Singh noted that there were other major players in the race for the same contract. The company plans to start execution of the contract shortly. The company's digital switching systems handle over 75 per cent of the calls routed through the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd's international gateway.

It has already installed over one million lines in India apart from supplying telecommunication infrastructure equipment for switching and transmission to Department of Telecommunications, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd and Indian Railways. Singh was in Calcutta to felicitate five winners of the "Phokat mein phuket" contest as part of its December promotional campaign of last year which was extended to January 31, 2000. At the felicitation ceremony, Singh launched two mobile handset models T28 and T10 from the new generation stable of Ericsson. He also demonstrated the new mobile handset accessories like chatboards and portable hands-free FM radio which can be fitted with the T10, T18 and A-1018 mobile handset models.