Chinese mobile browser developer UCWeb has officially established a new subsidiary in New Delhi, India, and the company launched its latest UCWeb 8.0 version for Android in the country.
Yu Yongfu, chairman and chief executive officer of UC, said that they see great traction in the Indian mobile Internet space, especially with the increase in mobile penetration in the Indian market. He said they aim to make UC the top mobile Internet browser company in India and achieve a user base of 100 million by 2015 in the country.
At present, UC claims to have gained over 500 partners in India, including Google, Nokia, Getjar, ebuddy and nimbuzz, providing end-to-end mobile Internet services to local users. As an important partner of UC, the Indian content provider Network 18 participated in the establishment ceremony and its senior vice president Rajan Srinivasan said that Network 18 is a strong content provider spanning different media in India such as CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNNIBN, Homeshop18, etc. It is reportedly of utmost importance to the company that they partner with a strong content distributor for mobile Internet services, which would enable them to not only cover most platforms but also ensure that people get content continuity for enhancing user experiences. UCWeb apparently meets all their needs and they are happy with the constant innovation and unmatched service that UC's products bring to the table.
Currently, UC holds the second place in the cell phone browser markets of India, Indonesia and Russia, behind Opera Software ASA, a Norwegian maker of web browsers. In India, UC occupies a market share of almost 25%.
In April 2004, UC launched its core product UC Browser, which now runs on almost any mobile platform, including Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, WinCE, bada, Java, MTK, and Brew. More than 3,000 phone models in 200 brands can reportedly support UC Browser. With UC Browser, mobile users can enjoy online services, such as news, games, and shopping. By March 2011, UC Browser has served more than 150 countries and regions, and claims to have gained more than one billion downloads.
