AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - LG Electronics (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it will start shipping its "Chocolate" mobile phone in Europe by early May, in an attempt to break through in the GSM markets where it lags far behind its direct rivals.
LG has already sold 300,000 of the chocolate-coloured slider models with touch-sensitive keypad controls in its South Korean home market since the launch in November.
LG is the fourth biggest handset maker worldwide, mainly as a result of its strong position in CDMA phones popular in the Americas. But in the market for GSM mobile phones which are used by two out of every three mobile subscribers, LG is only half the size of global No. 5 Sony Ericsson (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research)(ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research).
LG wants to expand retail sales in GSM markets to get a better understanding of consumers wishes. Currently it sells almost all mobile phones through mobile operators and focuses on technologically advanced models rather than design phones.
"The model caters to the replacement market where fashion is as much a factor in purchasing decision as function, but it remains to be seen whether European users will adopt it with the vigor that Korean consumers have embraced it," said Ben Wood at research group Gartner.
Sources close to the South Korean firm said LG wants to launch the model quickly before competitors copy the design.
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