Binatone
Binatone was founded in 1959 by two brothers, Gulu and Partap Lalvani. The company was named after Bina, their younger sister. In 1959 Binatone was the first company to import transistor radios into the UK from Japan. In 1970 Binatone opened buying offices in Hong Kong. In 1974 Binatone entered the TV games market, growing the sector five times in two years. In 1978 Binatone had the best selling TV game in the UK. In 1980 Binatone introduced its version of the Walkman and in 1981 it sold more Walkman's than Sony. In 1983 Binatone was the first in Europe with fixed line telecom. In 1989 Binatone opened its Hong Kong headquarters.
In 1996 Binatone was the first company in Europe to introduce DECT telephones. In 2002 Binatone was the 2nd DECT telephone manufacturer in the world. Binatone was the official shirt sponsor of Queens Park Rangers Football Club in 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. In 2004 Binatone entered the Russian telephone market with the Voxtel brand. In 2005 Binatone Telecom was in 55 countries with average growth of 30% per annum. In 2006 Binatone was the 3rd largest telephone manufacturer in Russia with 25% market share.
In 2007 Binatone introduced its satellite navigation (GPS) range in Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2007 Binatone was appointed as one of five council board members of Deutsche Telecom. In 2008 Binatone was purchased by Dino Lalvani, son of Gulu Lalvani and formerly its COO and Sales and Marketing Director. Dino Lalvani, 35, has been primarily responsible for Binatone's international expansion and success. In 2008 Binatone was appointed Global Licensee of Motorola Digital Photo Frames, Video and Baby Monitors and North American Licensee of Motorola Digital Corded and Cordless Phones. In 2009 Binatone celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2009 Binatone is the third largest in satellite navigation (GPS) with 10% market share in the UK. Binatone has 28% market share in the UK in telephones. Information from Wikipedia
