Feature

Hope for Benq Siemens Support

Networks & Network Services
There’s some relief for the BenQ Siemens brand – a deal has been reached to continue warranty cover for mobile phones sold under the “Siemens” and “BenQ Siemens” brand names.
German company B2X Care Solutions GmbH has been signed up to continue services from the beginning of January 2007.

A statement said sales partners and end users can continue to use the existing channels in case of claims. Siemens has agreed with BenQ Corp. to use the payments originally due in December to fund the warranty cover .

Siemens has also been active in looking after former BenQ Mobile employees, scheduling over 690 job interviews and setting up a €10m hardship fund for those in financial difficulties. Around 2,500 former staff are also continuing to receive most of their previous wage for up to a year under a transitional arrangement largely financed by Siemens.

Meanwhile a biometric technology company called Sentex Sensing Technology has made a e52m bid for the assets of BenQ Mobile GmbH. It’s not cash – the payments would be conditional on the future success of the company – but it seems to be the only offer on the table.

Sentex apparently wants to make high-end cellphones with built-in VoIP capability and biometric technology for security and payment – fingerprint, facial and voice recognition systems instead of pin codes.