Smartphone companies shift focus to 4G-enabled sets

Via The Economic Times | Jun 15, 2015

Smartphone makers have shifted their focus to devices which support 4G services
in India in the lead-up to Reliance Jio Infocomm's high-speed broadband services
launch expected around December this year and Bharti Airtel's plan to expand it
s offerings. Global and Indian market leaders Samsung and Apple have launched pr
emium-end 4G devices in the past few quarters, while Chinese counterparts Xiaomi
, Meizu, Coolpad, Huawei and recently ZTE are concentrating on the affordable ra
nge for better acceptance of 4G devices in India where the service is still at a
pretty nascent stage. Indian handset makers, including Micromax, Lava, Karbonn
and others are also revising their strategy to launch 4G-enabled phones across p
rice ranges, but with an emphasis on the more affordable Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 s
egment. "In China, 4G LTE devices as a percentage of overall device shipment has
increased from 10 percent to over 84 percent in just the past year. I expect a
similar trend in India," RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Friday. He said the
country will see several 4G LTE smartphones at prices below Rs 4,000 by December
of this year on the back of a supportive global environment and the company's a
ffordable high speed data offerings.