Lava begins manufacturing Nokia smartphones; in talks with telcos

NEW DELHI: Lava International is in advanced talks with one of the top Indian telcos to make co-branded smartphones, which will be subsidized by the operator, pulling the cost sharply down for the 4G device. It has already started making Nokia branded smartphones and is in talks with Motorola for similar tie-ups, people familiar with the matter said.

“Lava has reached an advanced level of talks with one of the telcos. Phones will be co-branded but will be subsidised by the telco,” a person said, adding that the company is in talks with all three telecom operators for design and manufacturing of smartphones.