With the Bluetooth market maturing and quickly reaching mass market adoption, GN Mobile, a division in GN Store Nord and a leading global manufacturer of hands-free communication products for the mobile consumer market, has experienced high demand for its products worldwide both under its Jabra brand and through OEM contracts. To serve the market and prepare for future growth, GN Mobile has strengthened its operations, expanded its distribution network for Jabra products, and established a local presence in several new territories.
“The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region has experienced significant growth with a distribution network now covering 38 countries up from 12 in 2002 ,” said George Tennet, vice president of GN Mobile’s EMEA operations. “The growth in EMEA has been fuelled by the maturity of Bluetooth, the wide availability of Bluetooth handsets, and also in-car hands-free legislation introduced in countries such as the UK, Germany, Spain and Portugal.”
According to IMS Research, GN Mobile is the largest producer of Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones and estimates the company had approximately 35 percent of the total global market share in Bluetooth headsets in 2004.
“With greater channel presence, an expanded organisation, a new range of Jabra products and continued success in the OEM business, GN Mobile is well positioned to maintain its position as the world’s leading provider of Bluetooth headsets,” said Morten Steen-Jørgensen, president, GN Mobile.
The Jabra brand of products has experienced great success and its distribution network has grown significantly now covering 56 countries up from approximately 15 just two years ago. The extended distribution network has enabled Jabra products, including its industry-leading Bluetooth headsets, to be introduced into more than 80,000 retail outlets worldwide making it one of the most successful brands of Bluetooth headsets on the market today.
A major expansion in Asia Pacific included the introduction of Jabra products into 11 new countries in including India, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
GN Mobile expands
In response to the tremendous growth and success, GN Mobile has expanded its operations. In EMEA, GN added several new employees in R&D, sales and marketing, and established a local presence in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia. In 2004, a new regional headquarters for North America was established in Chicago and a sales office in Mexico City was established to support Latin America and South America. A regional headquarters for Asia Pacific was established in Hong Kong, as well as local personnel in Japan and Taiwan.
“GN Mobile has added many highly qualified people in consumer electronics marketing, development and engineering. The build-out of the organization confirms the company’s commitment to serve the local markets and meet growing customer demand,” Steen-Jørgensen said.
Mobile convergence, design and segmentation drive Bluetooth headset market
GN Mobile estimates the size of the global Bluetooth headset market will reach close to 30 million units in 2005, approximately twice as many as 2004, and six times as many as in 2003. The growth of the Bluetooth headset market is expected to continue to grow significantly in the coming years due to the convergence of mobile phones, gaming handhelds and MP3-players. Music and the emergence of 3G mobile services will drive the need for high-quality headsets that enhance the overall mobile user experience.
As the market matures, the Bluetooth headset is evolving with new designs and price points to meet the needs of different customer tastes and budgets. “The Bluetooth headset market is now clearly segmented into the high-, mid- and low-cost segment with design becoming even more important criteria than ever,” said Steen-Jørgensen. “Jabra is one of the first brands to offer a full product range in all segments to appeal to the entire range of customers.”
