INQ to sell unlocked phones in India

British phone maker INQ on Wednesday said it has launched unlocked versions of its handsets, which were earlier only available with Aircel network, in the open market to tap the country's burgeoning telecom market.

Locked phones can't be used with all telecom networks and usually come with the connection. However, after the handset is unlocked it can used for any telecom service. So, the launch of INQ's unlocked handsets would enable user's to go for any telecom operator's network and not just Aircel.

"All INQ phones in the market can be easily unlocked to any network. The new batch of phones are coming in the market over the coming days would be pre-unlocked," INQ Co-founder Jeff Taylor told PTI.

The company had launched two phones - INQ CHAT 3G and INQ MINI - priced at Rs 7,599 and Rs 5,399, respectively, on the Aircel network, which will be available in the open market.

The handsets offer one-click access to applications like Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Windows Messenger.

"We will continue with our partnership with Aircel and our handsets would be available through the Aircel network and other retail outlets, which sell Aircel connections. We are in discussion with various partners for expanding our distribution network," he said.

INQ, a unit of Hutchison Whampoa, is based in London and has customers across 10 countries including the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

Asked if the company would partner with other telecom operators, Taylor said, "Nothing like that is on the radar." He declined to comment on details of its partnership with Aircel, or on the time period of the deal.

The company will position its products as a fashionable social networking handset. "Our handsets are fashion-oriented and focus on social networking. The handsets available in India have been customised for localisation in terms of applications," Taylor said.

The company will also unveil a new advertising campaign this month, but Taylor declined to comment on the investment details.