By IANS
New Delhi : Britain’s Virgin group will soon enter India’s mobile phone market and make animated films, even as it awaits government nod to fly the domestic aviation space, its founder Sir Richard Branson said here Monday.
“In time, India will have to open its aviation market,” Sir Richard told a press conference here, referring to the present policy where only domestic companies enjoy ninth freedom rights – that is permission to fly the domestic sector.
“At the moment the market is protected. When the market opens up, Virgin would be there to join Jet Airways and Kingfisher as competitor,” he said and added: “It will be extremely good if the government opened that up.”
Branson also said Virgin was keen to expand its operations between Britain and India. “We are trying to get permission to expand our international market. We fly daily to Delhi and Mumbai. More people are coming to India now,” he said.
He said Virgin was also keen to fly the Airbus A-380 aircraft to India – six of which are expected to join its fleet in 2009. But for that to happen the Delhi and Mumbai airports must be upgraded, he added.
Speaking about his interest in the Indian mobile phone space, Branson said his group had already applied for relevant permission to enter the market. “Give me two-and-a-half months to talk about that,” he said.
“It will not be long before we enter the mobile phone business in India,” he said, adding: “We have a partner now.”
The Indian mobile market is the second biggest in the world after China, with six to eight million subscribers being added to the network each month.
According to the self-made billionaire, Virgin Books Ltd had entered the Indian comics business recently and that plans were being drafted for a major expansion in this area as well.
“The international market is looking for creative designers and animators. They (Virgin’s Indian animators) have done some fantastic comics. Quite a few of them will be converted into films,” Branson said.
“This will mark Virgin’s entry into films in India,” he said.
Virgin officials in India had said earlier this month that they had roped in Bollywood star and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra to portray the character of a heroic princess with magic powers in a new animated series.
This is part of the venture Branson started in India under the banner of Virgin comics in collaboration with motivational guru Deepak Chopra and film director Shekhar Kapoor.
“We plan to create a new super heroine character that would capture Priyanka’s spirit and carry forward Virgin Comics’ mission of redefining Indian-character entertainment industry,” chief executive Sharad Devarajan had said.
Virgin Comics is also developing new stories with acclaimed filmmakers, actors and musicians like John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Terry Gilliam, Dave Steward, Ed Burns, Nicholas Cage, Duran Duran and even Sachin Tendulkar.