“The partnership further stems from the long-standing ties that Modern Electronics has shared as a trusted business partner of Sony Corporation, our parent company," Ruediger Odenbach, general manager for Sony Ericsson for the Middle East told newsmen at a press conference at the Marriott hotel in Riyadh on Wednesday. 2

He added that an extensive distribution network throughout Saudi Arabia makes MECL an ideal partner. "We have followed in the footsteps taken by Sony 40 years ago to appoint MECL as our exclusive distribution partner for one of the most important markets in the region."

Hoping that the partnership will contribute significantly to positioning the upcoming line-up of Xperia products, Odenbach, said the new range of smart phones has already garnered an emphatic reputation among consumers. "The new range of Xperia will be launched next week on Android 2.3 platform providing access to Google Mobile Services and more than 150,000 free applications." He added that Sony Ericsson has a clear vision and strategy to be the leader in Android by delivering the most entertaining smart phones.

Odenbach described the Kingdom as a huge market for mobile phones with an estimated volume of 10 million machines and around 20 percent of them been taken over by smartphones.

“The new models including the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Pro and Xperia Neo, will reflect the stunning design language that Sony Ericsson is renowned for," he stressed.

MECL Managing Director Bader Al-Swailem said: “Modern Electronics is leading the consumer electronics market in the Kingdom with a market share exceeding 35 percent and around 75 percent of the gaming market, supported by specialists in marketing, service, sales and customer service." In addition, he said an extensive network of 600 dealers, and 40 Sony World showrooms, besides 15 service centers across the Kingdom are available for the convenience of Sony customers.

He added that the partnership with Sony Ericsson is MECL's key effort to keep pace with the tremendous development witnessed by the market of smart phones in the world, where it allows immediate showcasing of the latest mobile phones launched by Sony Ericsson and benefit customers through an interactive and great experience of the concept of smart phones.