LIVE FROM MOBILE ASIA EXPO: Enabling device makers to offer products targeting specific regional markets is a “primary responsibility” for key components suppliers, Charles Shen, senior director for business development at Qualcomm, told Mobile World Live.

“Regional customers have their own specific needs. One of our primary responsibilities is to provide a solid and flexible platform, so our customers will be able to introduce other regional ingredients to make their products regionally targeted”, he said.

With Qualcomm facing tough competition in many cost-sensitive Asian markets from rivals such as MediaTek and Spreadtrum, Shen acknowledged that in the “emerging markets volume segment”, price positioning is an important criteria.

Earlier this year, research firm Canalys forecast that the Chinese market alone will absorb 240 million smartphones this year, making it the single largest market, with domestic vendors “rapidly moving their business toward smart phones and winning consumers with their competitively priced devices”.

But in order to offer smartphones at low price points, vendors are looking to reduce their bill of materials, placing cost pressure on their suppliers.

Shen said that through Qualcomm’s integrated products, “OEMs are able to quickly deliver solid, performing, differentiated smart handsets and tablets, with value selling opportunities”.

In addition, this integrated approach “significantly reduces OEMs development efforts and reduces time to market”.

Shen also noted that tablets are gaining momentum in the region. “As both connected and nonconnected tablets are becoming competitive in terms of features, performance and pricing, different types of tablets will target different consumers’ needs.”