New Delhi Nov. 16: Motorola C115 will soon be assembled in the country and carry a “Made in India” label.

The US telecom equipment giant has lined up a local manufacturing hub, which will be preceded by a unit to assemble handsets. Company executives refused to divulge the name of the Indian company that would be part of the assembling venture, but industry sources said the Bangalore-based Elcoteq is the most likely partner.

Allen Burnes, vice-president in Motorola’s mobile devices business, extolled India as a country full of opportunities. “Today’s announcements make it clear that we are a major player. We will also explore the opportunities in manufacturing. It is the first step in a multi-phase strategy being deployed by Motorola in India.”

The US firm is the second telecom giant to have announced plans for manufacturing after Nokia, which announced in recent months that it would set up base in Tamil Nadu.

Motorola, trying to improve its market share in India from less than 10 per cent, expects the first C115 handsets assembled here to be on the shelves by the second week of next month. The compact and stylish handset has long battery life and “compelling personalisation tools”.