4Ps Mobile Plus Economy

POWERED BY
MOBILE+ ECONOMY REPORT
EDITION SIX
CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021
OPENING NOTE
In the post-COVID era, India’s digital economy is

significantly poised to build and leverage on the
success of its digital transformation forays over the past
few years.
India’s digital transformation has been made possible

through combined initiatives of public and private
sector. COVID-19 accelerated the process, bridging the
digital divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. This,
in turn, has positively impacted all facets of the society,
creating significant economic value for all stakeholders,
from ordinary Indians to enterprises alike. It is only due
to its resilient digital infrastructure that India has been
prepared to tide over the pandemic, and forge ahead.
As we move ahead, India is poised to emerge as an attractive hub for global enterprises,
new tech start-ups and investors. India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Policy is a major initiative to
foster manufacturing in India, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship.
With its vast scientific talent and market acumen, India will stamp its leadership in emerging
technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to serve India, and the world. The
focus is on ramping-up the digital infrastructure to foster adoption of emerging technologies,
including 5G, AI and IoT for healthcare, agriculture, education, cybersecurity, and smart city
infrastructure, among others.
As the bellwether of timely insights and trends on the Indian technology industry, CyberMedia
Research (CMR) has been playing a pivotal role. I wish to congratulate Shri Prabhu Ram and
the entire research analyst team at CMR for the sixth edition of the CMR 4Ps Report 2021.
The fact that is the only such report bringing together perspectives from the mobile handset
makers, telecommunications equipment manufacturers, OTT players gives a very rich, and
interesting read on India, and what lies ahead.
Amitabh Kant,
CEO
Niti Aayog
CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021
Research Methodology
Primary interactions with key stakeholders in the Indian mobile plus ecosystem provided
key inputs for this report. Extensive primary research analysis and insights done by CMR
analysts, were backed by secondary research.
CMR has >8,00,000 manhours of rich industry experience and insights on the Indian ICT
industry, and especially, the mobile ecosystem. The CMR analyst team deploys a three tier
research system, including several primary interactions with key stakeholders across the
mobile value chain, to glean bespoke insights.
The datapoints in this report are from CMR Monthly Mobile Handset Review Report, CMR
Industry KnowledgeBase, CMR Mobilytiks, CMR Quarterly Consumer Survey Insights, and
regular analyst-driven interactions with stakeholders in the mobile industry ecosystem.
CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 4

PREFACE
The CMR’s 4Ps Report has been a bellwether for the India
mobile plus ecosystem. The sixth edition of the 4Ps report
features our bespoke intelligence and perspectives on the
dynamic India market.
In 2020, the world came to a stop. The pandemic disrupted all

the assumptions and the elaborate plans we had made for the
world we operate in, for our enterprises, and our lives.
Overnight, all our plans were laid waste. Amidst the pandemic,
technology proved to be an enduring lifeline, enabling new ways
of connecting with the world. We saw new ways of working,
learning and unwinding. What started-off as a reactionary
strategy to resolve challenges posed by the pandemic,
transformed into a proactive strategy to re-define the enterprise
at its core, leveraging technology. Digital transformation
sweeped the world. In doing so, it compressed a decade worth
of transformation into as little as twenty-four months. Resilience
was a clear guiding principle through the pandemic.
As we forge ahead in the new decade, the opportunity is to

leapfrog ahead, by embracing exponential technological
change, and reimagining the future.
Over the past six years, this report has become a much sought-
after, and one of the only such handbook for policymakers,
industry leaders, as well as all other ecosystem stakeholders in
India.
We would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank our partners

for supporting us in making this report a reality. We would also
like to thank all the CXOs for taking time out to share their
perspectives.
As always, we look forward to hearing from you,
hu Ram.
Prab
Head- Industry Intelligence Group
CyberMedia Research & Services Ltd

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
06/
Preface
13/ PRABHU RAM, CMR

A decade of promise and
possibilities
23/ SHIPRA SINHA, CMR

The resilient mobile market
in 2020
27/ SUGANDHA SRIVASTAVA, CMR

Consumer trends amidst the
Pandemic
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
32/ VISHAL MAHESHWARI,

INDUSTRY EXPERT
OTT: Show me the money!
38/VAMSI KRISHNA,
INDUSTRY EXPERT
Gaming and eSports in India
43/
4Ps
53/
CxO Perspectives
A Decade of Promise and Possibilities
PRABHU RAM
Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG),
The year 2020 was a year marked by sheer turbulence, followed by a great reset.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world and India led to a
prolonged period marked by uncertainty and challenges. The economic slowdown
prior to the pandemic, the increasing geo-political tensions, and finally the pandemic
itself, created a whirlpool of challenges for economic growth. Faced with an
unprecedented crisis, humanity found a common purpose. The ubiquitous
connectivity ensured continuity in human lives.
So, as we look at 2021 and beyond, how will the future be?
I believe we are at the onset of a decade of possibilities, marked by resilience and

resurgence. The focus will not be on coping with the present, but rather focusing on
shaping the future.

Digital Leapfrogging to the fore
Amidst the pandemic, digital transformation saw a significant uptick. It enabled

sweeping shifts across education, healthcare, entertainment, among others.
Overnight, the way we work, learn, operate, or unwind at home was disrupted, and
‘everything from home’ became the new normal.
The role of smartphones as the central nervous system of human lives was re-
established. Through the course of the year, smartphone brands overcame supply
chain and associated pandemic-related challenges. Connectivity providers and
smartphone brands
In less than a year, we saw a decade worth of transformation. Consumer adoption on

mobiles spiked for digital payments or online retail; remote learning, remote work or
remote healthcare; or unwinding at home through gaming or OTT consumption. As we
move forward, this trend will continue to gain traction.
The pandemic ushered significant digital adoption across Aspirational India (Tier II, III
cities and beyond), bringing many new rural internet users online.
Everything from Home Trend
Work and Learn from Home. In 2020, the world operated from home. As we move
into the post-virus era, the future of work will be predominantly hybrid, wherein the
work spaces of yore become hubs for connection and collaboration, while the home
will continue to remain the hub for daily work.

Across the board, whether it be teachers or doctors, workers or entrepreneurs – the
remote-first workforce has been increasingly dependent on audio and video tech to
break barriers, and get work done.
Video will be key to establish connections and further remote collaborations –

whether it be for team work, or status checks. Alongside, social audio will be a key
trend for socialization at work and home.
Through the course of the pandemic, we have seen refinements in remote

collaborations. Going forward, Artificial Intelligence will enable more better and
natural virtual collaboration. When it comes to video, we will see devices come with
better technological innovations to make virtual collaborations more immersive and
real. Similarly, audio experiences will benefit from improvements in voice quality and
with capabilities for real-time transcription and translation.
In 2020, teachers and students learnt to grasp and adapt to remote learning
experiments. In the next normal, technology will continue to have a lasting imprint on
the learning from home trend. Whether it be personalized learning or enabling
intuitive and immersive learning pedagogies, tech will be central to foster learning
and collaboration in the classroom.
In a home-first work environment, the focus will be on enabling immersive

collaborative experiences through advancements in Augmented Reality/Virtual
Reality.

Unwind at Home. Through the course of 2020, consumers have adjusted to
prolonged social isolation periods. As consumers look at spending more time at
home, they seek better, more refined and immersive entertainment experiences. In
the years ahead, we will see device-level refinements in video and audio
technologies. Alongside, we will see refinements in battery capabilities.
Over the course of the pandemic, mobile and PC gaming got a thrust. As consumers
continue to operate from their home, they looked at gaming for leisure, as well as to
stay socially connected with their friends and family. Hyper-casual and casual
gamers continue to drive the gaming market. Direct to Consumer (DTC) digital
platforms are all seeking to cash-in on the mobile gaming appetite. Some of the
benefits that these platforms seek to realize include user engagement and user
retention, leading eventually to product monetization.
In 2021 and beyond, gaming will continue to gain traction. Consumers will benefit
from the strong connectivity infrastructure, and new gaming avenues available for
them. As we stand at the onset of the 5G era, gaming, and especially cloud gaming,
will see a strong growth.
The pandemic ushered in a significant shift from linear to digital programming. There
was a spike in OTT viewership, with users spending more time on OTT platforms
than before.

Consumers seeking to consume content of their choice, across genres anytime and
anywhere, switched to paid memberships as well. In 2021 and beyond, the consumer
appetite for fresh and differentiated programming will continue to drive OTT traction.
In particular, OTT platforms would need to focus on vernacular and original content
as key differentiators in a hyper-competitive market.
The prolonged everything-from-home conditions have also contributed to the rise of

social audio apps. For instance, apps such as Clubhouse and Stereo rose in
popularity, driven in part by an increase in Zoom fatigue over the past year, and a
yearning for personal and yet non-invasive social and live conversations. For users of
such audio apps, the major benefit has been that they have been able to go about
their daily chores at home, whether it be work or leisure, while listening-in and
participating in audio conversations via apps on smartphones. A mix of real
conference-cum-podcast medium that social audio accords augurs well for its future
growth.

Beyond the everything-from-home trend, there are macro factors at play that will
shape the decade ahead.
The Make in India Initiative
The pandemic laid open the vulnerabilities in manufacturing supply chains, leading to
critical component shortages. The overdependence on China meant smartphone
production ebbed in India. As we move forward in the post-pandemic era, the
rebalancing of supply chains has started anew with a focus on avoiding such future
shocks and disruptions. This would not necessarily entail relocation of all or most
production by multinationals to other markets.
In a post-virus era, as the world scrambles to recover and realign, India is positioned
for potential success as a global manufacturing hub. Towards this stated vision and
goal, the Government of India (GoI) approved a Production Linked Incentives (PLI)
scheme under the National Policy of Electronics. India will aim to leverage on its
strengths and position itself as a partner of choice for enterprises seeking to relocate
and redistribute some of their manufacturing capabilities outside of China. The
Government’s policy initiatives have secured strong interest from multinationals in
US, South Korea and Japan, among others, seeking to shift their production facilities
to India.
India has an attractive large domestic market and can be a strong exports hub. It has
strong skillsets and a conducive policy framework. Lastly, its logistics and
transportation infrastructure are improving rapidly.

In the decade ahead, as India integrates more tightly with the global value chains, it
stands to gain through increased FDI inflows.
The 5G Year
2021 will be the year when 5G smartphones become mainstream. Across price-
segments, smartphone brands will be focused on bringing new 5G offerings,
including at mid to low price-points. As 5G-capable smartphones increase, it augurs
well for the impending nationwide 5G roll-outs, and the associated infrastructure and
network deployment in 2021 and beyond.
From a device innovation perspective, foldable technology made a big impression in

2020. Driven by new display technologies, some smartphone brands thought out of
the box to make these radical form factors a reality for the early technology adopters
and digital natives. As we move forward, the foldable innovations will become
mainstream, bringing new form factors into play – rollable display, foldable, and
extendable displays, among others.

The Resilient India Mobile Market in 2020
SHIPRA SINHA
Analyst- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG),
The year 2020 began with the pandemic being a supply-side challenge confined to
China. Smartphone brands in India were able to tide over the initial wave of the crisis
with enough inventory supplies. However, as COVID-19 cases in India crossed the
500 mark in late March 2020, India went into a state of complete lockdown.
For smartphone brands, this put both their supply as well as demand in a state of
uncertainty. Faced with personal and economic uncertainties, consumer spending
remain muted for a better part of the year. Unless absolutely necessary, such as
replacing a mobile phone, the expectation was that consumers will choose to
conserve.

In Q3 2020, the smartphone market offset the ongoing pandemic-related challenges
faced in the first half of the year. Across price bands, smartphone brands unveiled
competitively priced strong product offerings. The eCommerce Platforms increased
their reach across India, by tying up with local stores. Consumers from Aspirational
India, including Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns, including first-time ecommerce
shoppers, looked at shopping online, aided by the option to shop in vernacular
languages.

On the back of the growth momentum in Q3 2020, the smartphone market continued
to gain strength in the run-up to the festive season and beyond in Q4 2020. Amidst the
pandemic, the smartphone industry growth was positively impacted by the pent-up
consumer demand driven by the persistent work-from-home, learn-from-home, and
unwind-at-home conditions. Smartphone brands were able to turn around the story in
H2 2020. As a consequence, the smartphone market saw a mere 3% decline for the
full year.
In Closing
For the Indian smartphone industry, the year 2020 was a remarkable story marked by
response, recovery and resilience in the face of the persistent pandemic. As a
consequence of the supply chain and geo-political challenges, the year saw a gradual
realignment of smartphone supply chains. Enterprises seeking to de-risk themselves
from China looked at emerging alternatives, including India. As we move forward, we
believe India’s smartphone manufacturing ecosystem will get a fillip, and gain strength
in the post-pandemic future.
In 2021 and beyond, as India’s nascent digital economy takes off, the smartphone
industry would gain strength, driven by feature phone users transiting to entry-level
smartphones, and new, powerful offerings across price tiers, including 5G-capable
smartphone offerings at mid to lower price tiers, including in the <INR 20,000 price
band.

Consumer Trends Amidst the Pandemic
SUGANDHA
SRIVASTAVA
Analyst- Industry Consulting Group (ICG),
In 2020, the pandemic caused a social and economic upheaval, and disrupted the
way we live. The pandemic posed tremendous challenges for human lives.
Connectivity was the enabler of human lives. Amidst the pandemic-induced isolation,
human lives continued through the ubiquitous smartphones. Whether it be work from
home, learning from home, or unwind at home, consumers depended on their
phones.

Smartphones remained a key daily driver for consumers everywhere, amidst the
lockdown and in the neo normal. In the immediate aftermath of the nationwide
lockdown, smartphone usage spiked across work, communication, gaming and
content consumption. At both professional and personal levels, consumers turned to
their smartphones for remote client meetings, connecting with loved ones, for
shopping and entertainment. The pandemic pushed people to rapidly adopt new
behaviors that are likely to stick, changing the trajectory of trends. Many people
discovered the convenience of e-commerce and other online activities during the
pandemic.
In the initial days of lockdown, overall smartphone usage increased nearly 50%.
Smartphone productivity rose 120% when compared to the pre-pandemic era. Content
creation and sharing, and collaboration accounted for most of the work related activity
on smartphones. During this period, 84% of users turned to smartphones to find more
about various government schemes, get weather updates and market related
information on agricultural produce. Around 83% of users relied on their smartphone
for creating and consuming short-form videos, music and videos.

As the nationwide lockdown lifted, and India moved into a gradual and phased unlock
period, consumer dependency on smartphones got lessened with people switching to
laptops. In June, the use of smartphones for productivity rose only 40% in comparison
to the pre-pandemic era. However, smartphone usage for learning remained high
amongst students.
As people remained at home amidst the continued pandemic-induced lockdown, they

started experimenting with mobile gaming. The time spent on mobile gaming
increased across consumer cohorts, whether it be serious gamers or the hyper-casual
gamers.

The Rise of 5G
5G will positively impact the consumers create, communicate, collaborate, consume

content and share our experiences with our loved ones and the world through
primarily, a video-led medium. In global markets, 5G smartphones are fuelling video
content creation and consumption, video calling, as well as use cases such as mobile
gaming, among others. I believe that when 5G becomes available in India within the
next two years, it will give a considerable thrust to the increasing trend of short-form
video creation and sharing, amongst millennials.
In India, 5G readiness is one of the top three considerations amongst premium

smartphone users (83%), just behind battery life (84%) and smartphone brand
imagery (84%).
Amongst early 5G adopters and 5G intenders in India, there is a strong appeal to

upgrade to 5G-capable smartphones. Nearly three in every five existing premium
smartphone users are definitely seeking to upgrade to 5G ready smartphones. The
advent of 5G, coupled with next-generation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence
(AI), offers enormous potential and promise for transforming smartphones into truly
intuitive and smart enablers of human lives. Imagine faster speeds, higher bandwidth,
lower latency.

OTT: Show Me the Money!
VISHAL MAHESHWARI
Industry Expert
2020 will go down in Indian OTT history as the year of Audience Inflection.
All the struggles and efforts of the last 3-4 years with national and international OTT
launches, vernacular and localised content experiments, long form vs short form
content all came together to provide TV entertainment bereft masses, locked down in
their homes much needed entertainment via the multitude of OTT services in India.
Adoption of the medium happened in doves with most platforms reporting large
increases in users as well as engagement. New original releases in vernacular
languages, star power, direct to OTT releases of movies which skipped cinema
altogether, short form video platform launches to replace banned ones and
interesting experiments on penetration like SVOD platforms making streaming free
for a couple of days all became catalysts to drive penetration and adoption.

While exact numbers will always elude, it may not be blasphemous to say that every
Indian with a data enabled mobile device be it a high, mid or entry level phone has at
sometime or the other accessed a streaming service or played back a shared video
from one of the many platforms.
Another phenomenon has been the increase of OTT being consumed on the large
screen – especially Smart TVs or via devices like the Fire Stick that enable a non-
smart TV to access streaming services. People are no longer willing to be captive to
watching OTT content – or atleast some forms of OTT content on their mobiles only.
To be true in 2018 the volumes of Smart TVs produced in India crossed over the
non-smart ones. Today it’s not easy to find a non-Smart TV screen on sale in most
urban areas. So, while the first date with OTT may well start from an internet
connected mobile device – it will soon graduate or be supplemented by a larger
connected device screen. However, the black cloud on the silver lining has been and
the lower than desired velocity and volume of monetization.
With the trials and sampling done, now the OTT Managements and Investors are all
saying – “Show me the Money”. And here is how the game is going to have to
change – with Innovation and Packaging on pricing, viewing flexibility conventions
having to be challenged 2021 onwards.
Here are some of ways that players could want to experiment with that could give
them the leeway to start charging more value-based pricing or lower priced
subscriptions or even make money via advertising-based models.
Linear Streaming – this almost seems like an antithesis of what Streaming has
stood for all this while – the freedom to watch what you want, when you want and
how you may want it. seems that there are a lot among us who are confused and
bewildered with this power to choose and want to be able to just turn on a service
and catch what’s being shown there – literally go with the flow. A recent
experiment by Netflix in France seems to have worked and this seems to be
something that may well start happening in other parts of the world. A typical
application could be that this stream is injected with commercials ike in TV – and
you end up paying either nothing or a reduced subscription for such a service.
Which could certainly help to expand the market for OTT content.

In the case of a Broadcaster OTT, there could well be a linear OTT feed.
TVOD or Transaction Video on Demand could make a comeback. Direct to

OTT movie releases could resort to this – Warner for instance has announced
that it will be releasing its entire slate of 2021 movies direct on HBO Now
simultaneously with theatres. There are some Indian OTTs that have announced
plans on this.
Emergence of Smart SAAS usage-based models could start complimenting

the traditional subscription model. A relevant model for India could be the Struum
model. Struum aims to take the ClassPass model and apply it to the streaming
landscape. That is, Strum’s plan is to aggregate content from smaller video-on-
demand services, then provide that under its own subscription. Which can be a
bit of a God send for the large number of torso and tail OTTs that seem to exist in
all markets now. Its unlikely that we will subscribe to more than 4-5 services . So,
if you are subscribed to Struum then you can go onto any OTT signed up with
them and use your balance to redeem credits for a show. It’s time for something
like this in India for sure as not everyone has the power to strike deals with Jio or
Airtel to get users and subscriptions revenue going on a d2c basis

Video and In-Stream Commerce: On the AVOD side, the emergence of Video
commerce as an instream or on content enabled buying could well add some
respite to the eCPM enrichment challenge . Adding on a layer of transaction
could help drive direct commerce on their content. There are fine examples in
India of tech start-ups like KikoTV or Toch which could help partnering on this line
of monetization.

Connected TV monetization should be a focus to bridge the Converged TV
opportunity of TV advertisers wanting to move money to the OTT medium on the
large screen and enhance the eCPM. If done strategically by the ecosystem it
represents a true opportunity to both compete and supplement TV advertising.
In Conclusion
If 2020 was the year of Inflection for acquiring audiences, 2021 could well be the year to
start the point of inflection on monetising for OTT India.
Vishal Maheshwari has been in senior leadership positions across consumer

internet and OTT streaming businesses like Yahoo and Viu in India. He is a
member of the selection committees and boards of early-stage networks and funds
like Venture Catalysts and 9Unicorns and an occasional investor in these spaces
that he has some familiarity with.

Gaming and eSports in India
VAMSI KRISHNA
Industry Expert
The gaming industry has undergone a sea change in the past few months and
industry veterans are predicting that many more changes are in the pipeline. As was
the case with every other industry, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the gaming
industry in equal measure, impacting its performance, current competitive
landscape, and future outlook.
Even though a calamity struck the world, the esports and gaming industry continued
to grow. The disruption left every sports lover disheartened and searching for an
alternate form of entertainment to kill time. Hence, they turned to esports and online
gaming with their interest growing more with passing time. As a result, reports have
projected that the industry is likely to exceed 180Bn dollars in revenue. Gaming and
esports have forayed into the mainstream sports category, thanks to the massive
surge experienced during the lockdown period, having now become a primary source
of entertainment worldwide. What was once considered to be a subset of sports has
now emerged as a one-of-a-kind industry on its own.

Venturing into 2021, the esports and gaming industry have hit a positive note- both in
terms of revenue and viewership. The industry is estimated to generate nearly
1194.8 million dollars in terms of revenue in 2021.
Here’s a roundup of the major trends that are expected to make way in the gaming
and esports ecosystem in 2021.
VR & AR Will Go Big
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have revolutionized the world of
esports and are expected to bring in more this year. With the rising demand for
immersive experience by players, ever-innovative VR technology will be shaping the
future of esports. The virtual world of esports and online gaming is highly hypnotic
for players and provides them a seamless experience, a fitting feature that makes
these games addictive. Going ahead, VR and AR will be taking the gaming
world by storm.

Rise in Livestream Viewership
The gaming and esports live stream market has been booming with the onset of the
pandemic. The evolution of varied streaming platforms enables the gamers- both
amateur and professionals - to stream their gaming content in real-time. It likewise
encourages them to build a loyal following by recording and showcasing their talent
which earns them money as well. In India, the prevalence and wide consumption of
live streaming esports content denote that Indian gamers will reach huge number of
audiences via streaming platforms in the foreseeable future. The overall viewership
number is likely to surge with the regional language-based game streaming
dramatically increasing.

Lucrative Career Option
Be it squad-based or individual gaming tournaments, the prize pools and rewards in

esports tournaments are soul-satisfying. The Covid-induced lockdown has proved
that gamers can win loads of money by participating in virtual multiplayer e-sports
tournaments. Skilled gamers can win a whopping amount of money simply by acing a
tournament. The hefty prize pools and rewards even encourage youths to opt for a
lucrative full-time career in the industry. Furthermore, with the significant spike in
brand sponsorships and several inter-city & inter-regional esports tournaments, the
prize pools are likely to surge even more with time.
Wide Expansion of Network
The expansion of esports and gaming network would likewise be the driving force of
income development within this industry. According to reports, around 300 million
continuous watchers are required to watch esports worldwide.
41
CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021
It is noteworthy to recall that in 2018, there were around 165 esports fans and 200
million successive watchers of esports. The esports viewership predictions indicate
that its development rates are likely to go up by 14% before the end of 2021.
Predictions also state that there will be 250 million esports fans and 307 million
periodic watchers, adding the absolute to 557 million watchers before 2021 ends.
With passing time, an ever-increasing number of people are searching about esports,
adding further to its incessantly growing popularity.
Incredible Monetary Growth
The Indian esports and gaming industry has been garnering international attention for
quite some time. Several international esports firms are making a steady entry in the
Indian market for investing. Today, various large and small companies - both gaming
and non-gaming - are successfully running paid advertising on leading esports
platforms. Brands are seeking innovative avenues to promote their products and
services via in-game promotions, sponsorships, brand theme integrations, etc.
Therefore, the industry is indeed likely to witness phenomenal monetary growth and
backing of potential investors, advertisements, and sponsorships in the coming
times.
In Conclusion
In the wake of the tremendous rise of gaming and esports industry lately, it is
evidently clear that the industry is poised to dominate the market in the post-Covid
world with continuous innovation and world-class technology. In addition,
advertisements, sponsorships, and increase in prize pools will facilitate the growth of
this magnetic industry. Last year was admittedly a special year for the gaming world
as it significantly changed the society’s perception of the gaming culture and brought
in many previously niche sectors into the limelight. With the dawn of 2021, it has
become quite clear which paths the industry will be steering towards and what can be
expected in the times ahead.
Vamsi Krishna is the founder of The eSports Club.

1
PRODUCT
Product encompasses the design, features, variety and positioning of a product. As
consumers gain more knowledge and become more insightful, their increasing
expectations will fuel the competition amongst smartphone brands to offer the very
best.
The foldable device revolution continues apace, driven primarily by Samsung. Among
others, Microsoft has also ventured into the foldable tech domain. Others, such as
LG and Huawei, tried their hand at foldables but with limited market success.
The foldable smartphones, though relatively niche and early stage, impart a 'halo
effect' on the overall product portfolio and the engineering capabilities of a
smartphone brand. This, in turn, will potentially contribute to enhanced consumer
preferences for the brand.
As an early leader, Samsung continues to democratize foldable innovation with the

Galaxy Fold 2, and the Galaxy Z Flip.
Beyond foldable innovation, the Android sea of sameness continues to see

incremental innovation, with very hyper-competitive plays around smartphone
features, such as the camera and battery.
For instance, there is a progressive trend towards higher pixel image sensors (48MP,
64MP and now 108MP) amongst smartphone brands focusing on camera as a key
differentiator. The improvements and refinements in smartphone image sensors,
happening in leaps and bounds, is driven by hyper-competitive smartphone brands,
and aided by image sensor vendors, Samsung and Sony.
Alongside, there is a push towards higher refresh rates, necessitated by the need for
gaming.

2
PRI CI NG
Pricing is as much a positioning statement as a definition of what it costs to the
consumer. Pricing strategies have become more dynamic in catering to highly
educated and aware consumers.
Affordability and more importantly, value and trust, will be the key drivers in the post-
pandemic era. The economic consequences of the pandemic have meant consumers
are conservative.
There will be a cascading of leading tech specs, including 5G capabilities, to lower

price tiers. The affordable smartphone segment (sub $100) and the value for money
segment ($100-$300 price band) will continue to grow, with competitively priced
offerings.
Across the other end of the spectrum, we anticipate the premium and the uber-
premium flagship segment to gain in traction. Consumers in this price segment are
immune to the pandemic pressures, and prone to 'revenge buying' or having the
need to have the latest device as a lifestyle statement.

3
PROMOT I ON
Promotion looks at the many ways brands disseminate relevant product
information to core consumer audiences. The emergence of digital natives has
changed how promotion is approached. Now, its all about approaching the
consumer's lives, to be on their devices, and capturing their attention via
meaningful interactions.
Hyperlocal strategies will be deployed by smartphone brands seeking to connect
with, and gain the loyalty of their target audience.
Authenticity and trust will be key for consumers in the post-pandemic era. As such,
instead of influencers, the focus will be on common consumers and the way they
interact with the brands. Smartphone brands that embrace the change to drive
authentic brand conversations will gain mindshare.
Amidst the ever-changing tough market conditions, smartphone brands will continue
to use primary consumer research, involving large consumer sets, to seek better
understanding on customer preferences, and define clear product and marketing
strategies.

4
PL ACE
Place refers to understanding, and making the product available to potential
customers where they are. This would entail positioning the product in the channel,
most accessible to potential buyers.
Through the course of 2020, hyperlocal commerce became a new reality, providing
a much-needed bridge between pure online and offline retail networks. Smartphone
brands and offline retailers leveraged the power of the ubiquitous SMS and social
messaging to fulfull consumer orders. For offline retailers, it gave them an
opportunity to diversify and avoid competing with the online stores. All of this
ensured business continuity amidst the pandemic.
Going forward, some of the societal and cultural changes that took place during the
lockdown will translate into permanent shifts in business and, essentially how we
live life.

Nishant Sardana
Director- Mobile Phones
Amazon India
The 2020 edition of the India Mobile Handset Report highlighted predictions on how the
smartphone would continue to grow as the preferred device for convergence, content
consumption, shape digital commerce, and enable customers to maximize their
productivity. While 2020 was an unusual year as the world witnessed once-in-a-lifetime
events, this robust trend was able to sustain all headwinds. As people navigated through
the new normal, the smartphone became much more relevant than what it was earlier.
Filling the void of social distancing, it allowed us to stay connected, informed, entertained,
and even helped while we worked from home.
The sudden shift in the way we lived, the lack of real-life interactions, and the lines
between work and life blurring further aided the need for powerful computing devices,
including the smartphone. The year saw never before use cases of online education,
cashless payments through UPI, and work from home trend becoming the new normal
across the country. This was directly responsible for increased demands for smartphones,
as more and more customers moved to better processing power phones, larger & better
displays, and mammoth batteries that allowed relentless use of the smartphone. The year
also demonstrated how e-commerce and digital modes of payment are here to stay, just
not for convenience but safer & preferred for more customers as well.

Due to the difficult circumstances last year, it was telecom networks and technology services
that kept people connected. As people embrace the hybrid work models, binge on web
series and continue to stay connected while staying safe at home, undoubtedly the
smartphone industry is expected to continue growing this year. We conducted a survey
called the Great Indian Mobile Survey ahead of our Diwali shopping event last year with
around 60,000 customers and they clearly told us that they were looking to buy mid-range
smartphones. More than 44% of respondents were looking for 6 GB of processing speed
(RAM), more than 56% of respondents were looking for 128 GB memory capacity (ROM),
5000-5999 mAh battery emerged as the most considered battery capacity and they were
seeking all this in a price range of INR 15,000 – INR 25,000. So customers are clear – they
want a great experience in the mid-range. This will certainly continue in 2021.
We expect this year to be one of the strongest years for the industry, as customers will get
more acquainted with the need for an advanced smartphone as they upgrade their phones
and invest more in what they buy. The growth will be driven by scale-up of 5G ready
smartphones, better displays (AMOLED, higher refresh rates), and earlier flagship features
like 108MP cameras, OIS/EIS now being accessible & available in the mid-range segment as
well. The change in mood of the country post-2020, strong economic recovery expected the
inoculation drives, and a larger proportion of devices being Made in India will also accelerate
demand.
We were humbled to serve our customers during the difficult times and are fully prepared to
address this demand growth. We, at Amazon, will continue to remain focused on enabling
sellers to accelerate their growth and help them as they get back on their feet. At the same
time, we want to help customers find everything they need – from the latest mobile phone to
daily essentials and get them delivered safely to their homes. If you look at the breadth of
selection, our sellers are ready with a great line up. We look forward to an exciting 2021.

Dr. Jaymin Amin
Vice President and General Manager
Corning Gorilla Glass
Around 400 million Indian consumers are likely to transition from a feature phone
to a smartphone in the near future and, especially in the last year, it’s become
apparent that smartphones are a key tool for everyday living. Regardless of
whether a consumer in India resides in a city, town, or village – durability in
smartphones is an extremely important feature. It’s also critical that smartphone
brands educate Indian consumers who are new to the space on why durability
plays such a critical role in protecting their investment.

Rajat Shikhar
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
DealShare
While the brick and mortar and Kirana stores will continue to be relevant,
consumers, especially first-time internet users are going to open up towards online
shopping as it offers them not just ease, but also better deals, more economic
savings among other reasons. Another key aspect that will witness a change would
be the replacement of word of mouth with social sharing, even in the heartlands of
India. Customers will unlock the benefits that social sharing can offer to them
leading to better growth avenues for social e-commerce players. In fact, e-
commerce players who have a thorough understanding of their target audience will
gain significantly in the coming years. It will require them to understand the nuances
not just from the price point but even from product preferences to how the audience
would like to be engaged.
Even, we at DealShare are going to continue to focus on aligning our offerings,

keeping into account how Bharat shops and the needs of the low- and middle-
income consumer base. Our approach would be to offer quality products at
affordable prices, maintaining our low operational cost and high impact model.

Pankaj Kedia
Managing Director, Emerging Markets
Dolby Laboratories
With the new work and leisure dynamics all confined within our homes, smartphones
became our window to the world. Some of our recent consumer studies have shown
that Indian consumers are spending more on quality in order to better connect with
content—and to connect with each other. This has thereby led to a rise in demand
for quality audio in smartphones for a seamless experience. With a singular aim to
provide an enhanced experience to smartphone users, Dolby works through a
collaborative ecosystem spanning artists, businesses, and consumers. Our audio
technologies like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio and visual technology Dolby Vision,
create an experience that brings entertainment to life.
There is no doubt that 2021 will witness a surge in the demand for smartphones with
enhanced audio-visual technologies as people will continue to conduct businesses
via hybrid workplaces, binge on their favourite episodic content, stream music in
immersive audio technologies like Dolby Atmos, and continue to want, demand, and
spend more on enhanced experiences, now more than ever.

Alok Shankar
Country General Manager
Fitbit India
COVID-19 has propelled the wearable industry forwards to integrate itself into the
modern healthcare landscape and fast-track consumer health tech adoption. Wearable
devices have witnessed an upward trend in the past year. We believe that this is in part
fuelled by strong demand for self-monitoring symptoms of COVID-19, as well as a
general increase in interest around health and wellness.
Wearable technology has also been a driving force and useful tool for several studies to
explore predictions and early warning signs of COVID-19 by combining essential vital
signs with clinical symptomology. We firmly believe players with meaningful integration
of hardware and software ECP - systems will be best equipped to succeed and lead this
dynamic environment where the concept of fitness is constantly evolving.
At Fitbit, we are actively collaborating with leading institutions to move the industry
forward and explore new boundaries of wearable technology and its subsequent impact
on our daily lives. We truly believe that wellness is no longer restricted to physical
fitness. The concept of fitness has evolved to include other dimensions of fitness, such
as mental fitness, heart fitness, sleep fitness – all equally important and complementary
to physical fitness.

Aditya Soni
Senior Director, Mobiles
Flipkart
The pandemic has impacted our daily lives in unexpected ways. Many important
aspects such as work, entertainment, fitness, managing utilities, and even education
have shifted to the confines of our homes. With this in mind, smartphones have
become an indispensable tool in this “new normal” that has dawned on us. What
was traditionally an enabler, has now become a necessity for us, to a point where a
household needs multiple smartphones to navigate their daily routines. Given the
growing need for smartphones to serve a diverse range of requirements, innovation
has been fast-tracked like never before. In 2021, we can expect an entire range of
5G-enabled smartphones, an expansion of the available options to customers
across price points, and the introduction of new purchase enablers like Flipkart
Smart Upgrade and SmartPack.
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Sanjay Kumar Kalirona
CEO
Gizmore
The device ecosystem is getting evolved with time with a better experience, bigger
display, HD camera features, longer battery with fast charging solutions and overall
consumer Experience is the key. In accessories, wireless devices such as TWS,
neckband, fitness watches are going to grow at a much faster pace and used by the
masses. Customer experience towards sound is getting evolved and personalized with
more time spends at home. We at Gizmore are focussed on personal and home audio
range of products and well accepted by retail and customer.

Swapan Rajdev
Co-Founder and CTO
Haptik
We are excited about the potential and penetration of mobile phones in the Indian
market. People are carrying powerful computing devices in their pockets and with the
smartphone user base expected to reach over 800 million by 2022, there is immense
potential to provide great experiences using cutting-edge technologies to everyone.
Intelligent virtual assistants or chatbots have integrated across popular platforms like
WhatsApp, Android, iOS, etc. and with an increased interaction through mobile
devices we expect businesses to leverage these platforms to provide quality
experiences to their customers. Haptik's conversational AI platform will be able to
cater to the millions of users who will interact with brands through their mobile
devices.
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Sanmeet Kochhar
Vice President
HMD Global
If 2020 was the year of resilience for the mobile phone industry, then 2021 will be
the year of revival. The industry is already expecting double-digit growth for
smartphones in 2021.
India remains an underpenetrated market and the headroom for growth is large,
especially in ‘aspirational India’. We will see feature phone users traverse to
smartphones, and the budget smartphone segment continuing to flourish.
The anticipation for 5G will continue amongst consumers and companies, and there
will be a range of 5G devices available for consumers and enterprises in India. The
keyword here will be ‘affordable 5G’.
At the same time, many users will continue to be heavily dependent on 2G, 3G, and
4G technologies.

I also expect offline sales to rebound and online to continue its growth owing to the
rising demand from the hinterland of India. At the same time, brands will continue
ramping up their direct-to-consumer ambitions.
Finally, the Government of India’s strategic initiatives like the Production-Linked

Incentive (PLI) Scheme will be a major game-changer for smartphone production in
India, which will not only benefit the industry and the country at large, but also the
end-users.

Rakesh Deshmukh
Co-Founder and CEO
Indus OS
Assisted discovery and consumption of apps & content saw a tremendous increase in
2020. Games, Entertainment, Ed-Tech and Short video category apps were able to
grow exponentially. The challenges presented by COVID-19 pandemic have pushed
timelines for the company. Indus App Bazaar is now serving 100 million+ users and
has garnered over 1 billion installs+updates. We have further doubled down on our
core stakeholders - users and developers by propagating the need for an enhanced
app store ecosystem (EASE). Creation of institutions that can help startups scale from
day-0 is a priority that the company embarked upon. In the last year, we were able to
help developers get started. This year we are glad with the response that EASE has
received from partners. We are confident that we will be able to foster innovation in
India for the world.

Baskar Dhandapani
Director–Sales
Intel India
The new normal and the economic changes spurred by the pandemic have
tremendously accelerated the pace of digital transformation. There have been
significant advancements across different industries as we look to emerging
technologies to help us work safely, enhance productivity and increase automation.
Cloud workloads are diversifying, networks are transforming to deliver 5G, artificial
intelligence (AI) is pervasive and expanding, and more computing performance is
moving to the edge. The exponential growth of data coming from touchless workloads,
factories, smart and safe cities has created a massive opportunity to process this data
in the cloud and at the edge to provide new insights, solutions, and revenue-
generating services. This has also been a key inflection point in recognizing and
realizing the potential of technology in solving population-scale challenges.
2021 and beyond will see a new era of distributed intelligence, democratized compute,
and inclusive technologies. India’s existing strengths in software, an innovative startup
ecosystem, and tremendous local talent, combined with an emerging hardware
ecosystem and supportive policies give the country the edge it needs to lead in this
new era. Intel is committed to being a key collaborator in this journey with our
expanding suite of technology solutions, including purpose-designed, feature-rich
silicon, open and optimized software and tools, and preconfigured edge-to-cloud
solutions.

Shashin Devsare
Executive Director
Karbonn Mobiles
Product:
The key technology trends that we are going to witness in 2021 will be related to the
following & interestingly one can expect significant developments on these technologies
across all smartphone price segments:
High refresh rate displays

Fast charging standards
Computational photography
Bolder designs
Price:
The ASPs for smartphones should continue to hover around ~$150 with a marginal
upswing. Besides the impact of COVID on disposable incomes of the populace, the
continuation of better specs at better prices trend will also contribute towards the
stabilization of ASPs.

Place:
While the Online share had grown substantially in 2020 it is expected to grow in 2021
also with the increase in consumer traffic from Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities. Albeit, the growth
may be a tad slower with Offline channels catching up as the COVID situation subsides
towards H2 2021. We also expect that hitherto small mobile operator channels may also
see substantial activity for smartphone sales if operators move aggressively with
handset bundling promos in 2021, especially to attract feature phone users.
Promotion:
Across industries, Digital Marketing is the main focus & smartphones' marketing will be
no different. Mobile Advertising will be the main focus and Programmatic spending will
also increase significantly supported by growth in Programmatic creative technology
usage.

Tejinder Singh
Head- Product
Lava International
Over the years , phones have evolved from mere connectivity devices to multi- utility
ones providing support for education, entertainment, photography, digital payments and
much more. We will continue to see this journey in 2021. Current use cases will be taken
to different levels via better hardware and a much more evolved AI integration. Phone
battery has been a pain point in smartphones, but we see this changing this year. Screen
sizes, storage & camera will continue to upgrade and set new benchmarks as the year
progresses.Unfortunately, this will be the first year after a long time where prices will also
increase due to shortage of components globally. Both online and offline channels will
continue to serve different sets of consumers.

Sunil Nair
Chief Executive Officer, India
Loop Now Technologies
2021 is the year when the creator community comes to fore in India and moves
away from UGC to professional content created on their mobile phones. So the
obvious expectation is better cameras and better toolkits for creation. Consumers
should not have to depend on third party apps for this. I expect phone brands to
start offering vertical videos that enrich the consumer's life as a native experience
becoming consumption points instead of just being hardware.

Anku Jain
Managing Director
MediaTek India
2020 set the stage for 5G to go mainstream. In 2021, 5G and other next-gen
technologies will drive the next level of disruptions and innovations across all
spheres of life, be it remote working, gaming, healthcare, manufacturing, video, and
data among others. We expect 5G to set the pace for smarter and faster-connected
devices enabling an advanced smart devices ecosystem for a connected lifestyle.
In the smartphone segment, 5G and advanced gaming capabilities will be another

major trend to look forward to in the coming year, enhancing handset performance,
with Ultra HD, HDR image and video experience, incredible sound quality, faster
speeds, rich content, and energy-efficient capabilities. As 5G becomes a reality it
will also lead to newer applications, cost-effective devices, and smartphones,
superior telecommunication performance, and will help the ICT industry with new-
age technology adoptions and digital transformation – like Artificial Intelligence,
Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality among others.

Raj Talluri
Senior Vice President & General Manager
Micron Mobile Business Unit
In 2021, we’ll see near-term benefits in mobile, especially with the deployment of 5G
networks this year — which will accelerate globally. The fast speeds and low
latencies will enable people to truly multitask with their phones as the hub.
Consumers will be able to stream a high-definition multiplayer video game to their
television while video chatting, texting, and doing work on their phone
simultaneously. With all these rich, data-heavy mobile needs, in 2021, we’ll see
increased demand for low-power memory such as LPDDR5 which will be critical for
keeping pace with compute-intensive behaviors without draining the battery.

Prashanth Mani
Managing Director
Motorola Mobility India
2020 was a year of some unexpected curveballs but also of innovation and
resilience, with strong growth in the second half which is likely to ensure that the
annual market contraction is arrested to low single-digit figures. We saw a shift in
consumer behavior and consumption patterns some of which are likely to last even
after the impact of the pandemic. Digital content consumption has risen dramatically,
driving the need for faster connectivity through new technologies specifically 5G
which is likely to be a focus area for OEMs in 2021 with 5G enabled phones
dominating the >15K smartphone market irrespective of the service rollout status in
India. However, the key will be to ensure that smartphones are truly 5G ready with
support for multiple 5G network bands as the Indian market is likely to have multiple
5G bands across different states and network providers. Thus, while brands may
claim to have 5G ready devices with support for just one or two network bands, we
firmly believe in providing ‘truly 5G ready’ smartphones and our recently launched
moto g 5G with support for 11 global 5G network bands is an example. Further, with
enhanced connectivity and accessibility, consumers will continue to store more
personal and professional information on their smartphones than before, implying
that enhanced security solutions in smartphones will become more important.

In 2021, consumers will also continue to seek tech solutions that are flexible and
portable enough to keep up with their ever-evolving lifestyles. Thus, we will continue
to see innovation with foldable displays and innovative form factors although still at
premium price points. Finally, with the growth of online shopping in 2020, we
anticipate that virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) solutions will expand beyond
gaming and education use cases into the shopping segment in 2021.
We at Motorola are excited about these technologies and are committed to providing
Industry-leading solutions that cater to these fast-growing consumer segments.

Abhishek Nag
Director- Business Development
Netflix India
At Netflix, we aim to do only one thing - entertain our members around the world with
the best TV series and films, across languages, genres and formats. We want to
bring these instories to our members, wherever they are, and on the device of their
choice. Our members in India watch more on their mobiles than members anywhere
else in the world. The mobile plan at INR 199/month, our bundle with Jio's Postpaid
Plus plans, our partnerships with telecom service providers including Airtel and Vi
and our device preload programs with all the major Android smartphone OEMs, are
some of the ways we continue to make our content more accessible to people who
love to enjoy Netflix on their mobile phones- both on the go and at home.

Amit Marwah
Head of Marketing & Corporate Affairs
Nokia India
India has witnessed phenomenal data growth, year on year. Our recent MBiT 2021
reports that the data traffic in India grew approximately 60 times over the last five
years 2020 has been no different. Mobile emerged as primary source of
entertainment and productivity as an average Indian spent approximately 5 hours
daily on a smartphone which is one of the highest averages globally. The report
reveals the 4G device base surpassed 607 million units reaching a 77% penetration
level and there are already 2 million active 5G devices in use across the country. A
double-digit growth is expected in 2021 for the smartphone industry as people
embrace hybrid work models, e-learning, and consume content over OTT platforms.
The launch of low-cost 4G smartphones will provide the necessary headroom for
data growth with a significant number of 2G/3G subscribers potentially upgrading to
a 4G smartphone.
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Vikas Agarwal
General Manager
OnePlus
2020 has been an exceptional year. With the need for virtual connectivity at an all-
time high, there was a significant growth towards digitization - both from an
individual consumption as well as business engagement perspective. This led to
consumers increasingly demanding reliable technology, particularly smartphone
devices that deliver exceptional performance and allow them to multiple task
seamlessly. At OnePlus, not only did we introduce some of the best devices through
the year, we also actively engaged with our 5+ million community through digitally-
led unique initiatives that went beyond product launches. These innovative initiatives
were conceptualized and introduced in close alignment with user interests, thus
driving maximum impact and resonance. Some of our key engagement activities
through the year include -AR unboxing for the OnePlus 8 series, the launch of Nord
through world’s first AR smartphone launch, rollout of our documentary film ‘United
by Hope’, Hypertaskers campaign and Domin8, a unique PUBG MOBILE
tournament for our community. Our most recent initiative was the launch of OnePlus
8T that gave immersive virtual reality (VR) experience for our community across the
globe.
As a digital first brand, we will continue to explore engaging omni-channel formats to

deliver our premium OnePlus experience to our users along with curating eaningful
experiences for them at every step.

Tasleem Arif
VP & R&D Head
OPPO India
2020 has been a watershed year for us. We locked down our technology
development strategy – ‘3+N+X’ with a sharp focus on ‘virtuous innovation’. Our
concept technologies introduced during the year including OPPOX2021 rollable
concept handset, OPPO AR Glass 2021, Slide-phone, Music-link and others
demonstrated OPPO’s exploration and design thinking for the coming year. These
concept technologies gave a glimpse of how our innovations in 2021 will further
simplify life of consumers and their interaction with the world.
Apart from these, 5G will be another domain wherein we will see a lot of innovation
coming up, especially in the smartphone segment. OPPO will continue to focus on
product design, further exploring how technology and aesthetics can be integrated
to create closer relationships between people, devices, and the world around them.
Our product innovations, whether in smartphones or IoT products, will continue to be
inspired by the importance of human values and centered upon insights of users’
actual needs.

Anuj Sharma
Country Director
POCO India
At POCO India, we truly believe that there is ample space for new players in the
Indian smartphone market given how it continues to grow at an accelerating pace.
While the first half of 2020 did witness a slowdown, we are already seeing the
market bouncing back. For any brand/ company that is looking at investing or
expanding in the Indian market, they need to commit to driving digital
transformations and bring ground-breaking products that offer compelling
experiences to today’s demanding consumers. Keeping in mind that today’s world
requires advanced technologies and daring innovations across hardware and
software, brands need to usher in new waves of technological development and
bring products that matter in an ever-evolving world.

Manish Agarwal
Managing Director
Priyanka Communications India Pvt Ltd (CENTRiC)
2021 is going to be a strong sales year for smartphones. The newer technologies
like 5G & AI will slowly make their mark in the year. Offline sales which took a
beating in 2020 should start making a turnaround in the year 2021. Overall should
turn around to be a very positive period for the industry. Domestic players will need
to become stronger.

Sreevathsa Prabhakar
Founder
Servify
The scale of economic havoc created by the COVID-19 pandemic has not been felt by
any country in a century. The recovery process has brought to surface areas that need
our urgent attention, adequate healthcare facilities, healthy lifestyle, and innovating low
touch processes for conducting business are some such areas. The digital
transformation of entire businesses is well and truly underway. Reimagining a new future
will mean relying completely on digital mediums/processes.
However, simply adopting some technology isn't the answer. A long-term, sustainable
solution requires a deep understanding of how a business works and then building digital
systems which will elevate customer experience and also seamlessly integrate partners
supporting the business. At Servify, this is not a mind-shift we've had to undertake. This
is the idea on which our digital platform was built, and our partnerships with some of the
leading global brands have helped their consumers even during the uncertain times of
2020. This has not only nurtured existing relationships but is already paving the way for
a better future for us and our customers.

Dale Vaz
CTO
Swiggy
At Swiggy, we constantly strive to offer the most engaging experience to our users
while delivering value to our restaurant and delivery partners all through our highly
customized apps. Over the last decade, the growing urbanization, access to high-
speed internet, and affordable smartphones have accelerated the growth of the
online ordering ecosystem in the country. This has also enabled our teams to build
cutting-edge products and services to offer unparalleled convenience to our
consumers. With social distancing becoming the norm, we believe that the online
food ordering category will continue to grow as users adapt to the new normal and
take full advantage of what technology has to offer.

Arijeet Talapatra
CEO
TRANSSION India
In 2020, the Indian smartphone industry witnessed a V-shaped recovery path
backed by strong demand for affordable smartphones led by the pandemic
outbreak. With series of lockdowns and movement restrictions forcing people to stay
indoors,smartphones emerged as the life savior enabling the masses to continue
their lives whether it is for Work from Home (WFH), e-learning, gaming, browsing, or
consuming OTT content, etc. With our mission to democratize technology for the
masses, itel, in the year 2020, achieved noteworthy success by crossing the
milestone of 7cr+ customers and sustained its leadership position in the under 5K
smartphones category in offline channels. itel entered and disrupted the sub 6K
smartphone category and became the ‘Brand of Choice’ for consumers by
introducing smartphones equipped with premium features like Waterdrop display,
Bigger battery, etc. enabling the masses to cope up with the current pandemic
situation by fulfilling all their digital and entertainment needs in this new world order.
Further, in 2020, itel forayed into Smart Gadgets and Television category to extend
seamless entertainment experience to each household bringing an essence of
togetherness while keeping the brand essence of affordability at the forefront.

For 2021,itel has adopted a new brand vision- 'itel hai. Life sahi hai.' which
emphasizes enjoying a better life with itel’s range of products and services. Aligned
with the thought, itel recently launched Vision 1 PRO designed to elevate the
experience of our consumers who are looking for a high-performance smartphone
with an immersive viewing experience. In this year, we will continue to improve our
consumer experience with our premium and trendy product portfolio offering various
new-age features like Dot in Display, Bigger Waterdrop Display, Bigger Battery
enabling our target audience to live a comfortable and convenient life. This year we
will continue strengthening our leadership position in SP segment under 7K with our
latest technological enhancement and network additions.
In 2021, we expect strong growth in the smartphone industry backed by the

increasing customer demand, network expansion, remote content accessibility with a
close and strong support of operators.

Kari Krishnamurthy
Chief Commercial Officer
Truecaller
To say that 2020 has been strange is putting it mildly. Now, more than ever, staying
ahead through innovation and customer-centricity is paramount. We've been busy
adapting to a new set of cautious consumers, following social distancing norms,
bracing for market volatility, and building up strengths with recalibrated strategies and
new pivots. The smartphone industry is poised at the cusp of interesting change as
well, with consumers seeking to experience technology and enrich their
communication through a fresh new lens in 2021. Speaking at the inauguration of India
Mobile Congress 2020, our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the
need to work together to ensure the timely roll-out of 5G technology as well as make
India a global hub for telecom equipment. This would manufacture a stronger demand
in sales and a huge potential for extending the local value addition in the domestic
manufacturing industry.
Talking about the mobile app market in general, there has been unprecedented growth
despite COVID-19. It was 2020 when Truecaller’s Brand Solutions platform crossed
over 1 Billion impressions in a single day in India. And it was also 2020 when we
crossed the milestone of 5,00,000 new registered users per day. This shows that the
mobile ecosystem in India continues to have incredible potential. We are constantly
looking for innovative ways to add value to the lives of not only our 200 million Indian
consumers but our partners as well.

Eric Zhou
EVP
UNISOC
The global mobile market is on the threshold of an era where 4G and 5G stand side
by side in 2021, which means that more and more people will have access to the 4G
network. At the same time, 5G seems to enjoy increasingly rapid popularization by
means of tapping into its enormous potentiality.
UNISOC, one of the only five 5G chip companies in the world, boasts mature 5G
products. We envision making “5G for Everyone” a reality and are launching
chipsets to provide consumers with the best-in-class 5G smartphones so they can
experience the full potential of 5G.
The world's first 6nm EUV 5G chip T7520, 5G smartphone solution T7510, together
with 5G solution V510 for the Internet of Everything, just to name a few, stand out
among all its excellent products. At present, the number of 5G commercial terminal
products equipped with UNISOC 5G chips, has already exceeded 50. Besides, in
the field of 4G, UNISOC has a full range of high, middle, and low-end products, with
T618/T610 topping the preferred platform for 4G cell phones in the world, which is
adopted by more and more flagship models. With the aim of serving people with the
latest technology, we will continue joining hands with more partners to provide
a smart life in the fast-paced digital world.

Nipun Marya
Director-Brand Strategy
Vivo India
2020 was a challenging year for every industry. After a marginal dip in the initial
quarters of 2020, the Indian smartphone market witnessed steady growth.
We expect 2021 to be a significant year for the ever-evolving smartphone market in

terms of innovation. The camera has always been an integral part of smartphones,
and buyers are always looking out for better camera smartphones. New uses of the
camera have arisen the demand for better quality videos and photos. Millennials
today love creating and consuming short 'snackable' videos on their smartphones.
We believe that we will see this trend of video creation on smartphones growing
more and more. Cameras, therefore, have been at the core of Vivo's product
strategy since the beginning. For example, we introduced the industry-first Eye Auto
Focus technology in our V-series of smartphones and the world's first Gimbal
technology in X-series.

Furthermore, speedy screens with higher refresh rates are expected to be the norm this
year. We witnessed the trend picking up in 2020, and the momentum will continue this
year. The device manufacturers are already warming up post the pandemic halt and
2021 will see an aggressive push towards 5G adoption. We believe that the combination
of 5G and AI will be a significant trend in 2021.
Additionally, our commitment to the Indian market remains absolute and total. In line
with the 'Make in India' initiative, we plan to increase local sourcing by 200% in 2021.
Our approach and strategy are aligned with our unwavering commitment to
strengthening India's smartphone ecosystem.

Jaganathan Chelliah
Director of Marketing,India
Western Digital
The smartphone industry is driven by innovation and has radically shaped

consumers' digital lives by giving them access to services like digital banking, eGov
Citizen portals, Virtual learning, e-shopping, gaming etc., just through a click. In
2021, we expect devices to become smarter and come packed with new features,
therefore, helping consumers realize a better experience.
As we enter the 5G era, the possibilities of what can be done with a smartphone and
allied smart devices will become immense. These devices will create and preserve a
humungous amount of data for future usage. We are continually working to ensure
that the smartphone performance is matched by in best in class data storage
solutions to enable consumers make the best use of their smartphones for
entertainment, social and productivity needs.

Raghu Reddy
Chief Business Officer
Xiaomi India
Today smartphones have become a modern day essential. Nearly half of the world’s
population uses one to stay connected and aware. In these exceptional times,
consumers are looking for solutions that make their digital life convenient and
therefore, are seeking reliable, affordable gadgets with the latest specs. Being a
customer-centric brand, we are always on a lookout for insights that define changing
trends. We bring in products that stand true to our three pillars of providing best
specs with highest quality at an honest pricing.
In 2021, we will continue our efforts to pioneering AIoT and connectivity focused
product categories that would offer significant improvement across battery, storage,
processors, and allows users to do more with their devices. In an endeavor to
constantly working towards understanding the pulse of our consumer, Mi India will
continue to introduce its breakthrough campaigns and communicate digitally to our
user base. In addition to this, we will keep on introducing the right solutions like Mi
Commerce, Mi Store on Wheels and expanding our retail network both offline &
online to address the needs of consumers in the remotest of areas. Moreover, with
the changing times, consumers also want to experience future-ready solutions that
ensure ease with day to day tasks. We feel confident that 2021 is going to be
another exciting year for us at Mi India, backed by category expansion and new
launches that would cater our consumers’ needs.

ABOUT
CMR offers industry intelligence, consulting and marketing services,
including but not limited to market tracking, market sizing,
stakeholder satisfaction, analytics and opportunity assessment
studies.
Its bouquet of consulting services includes incubation advisory, go-

to-market services, market mapping and scenario assessment
services. CMR is servicing domestic as well as international
clientele in India and few global destinations. The clientele serviced
represents SMBs, Large Enterprises, Associations and
Government. CMR’s core value proposition encompasses a rich
portfolio of syndicated reports and custom research capabilities
across multiple industries, markets and geographies.
A part of CyberMedia, South Asia’s largest specialty media and

media services group, CyberMedia Research (CMR) has been a
front-runner in market research, consulting and advisory services
since 1986.
www.cmrindia.com
CMR Market Intelligence
Mobile Handsets
India Monthly Mobile Handset Report
Special Reports:
India Smartphone Report
India Value for Money Smartphone Report
India Premium Smartphones Report
India Feature Phone Report
India Mobile Handset Export Market Report

India Smartphone Export Market Report
Indonesia Mobile Handset Report

Vietnam Mobile Handset Report
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India SSD Retail Market Report
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CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021

4Ps Mobile Plus Economy

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POWERED BY

MOBILE+ ECONOMY REPORT

In the post-COVID era, India’s digital economy is

India’s digital transformation has been made possible

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 4

In 2020, the world came to a stop. The pandemic disrupted all

As we forge ahead in the new decade, the opportunity is to

We would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank our partners

As always, we look forward to hearing from you,

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 6

13/ PRABHU RAM, CMR

23/ SHIPRA SINHA, CMR

27/ SUGANDHA SRIVASTAVA, CMR

32/ VISHAL MAHESHWARI,

I believe we are at the onset of a decade of possibilities, marked by resilience and

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 13

Amidst the pandemic, digital transformation saw a significant uptick. It enabled

In less than a year, we saw a decade worth of transformation. Consumer adoption on

Everything from Home Trend

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 14

Video will be key to establish connections and further remote collaborations –

Through the course of the pandemic, we have seen refinements in remote

In a home-first work environment, the focus will be on enabling immersive

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 16

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 17

The prolonged everything-from-home conditions have also contributed to the rise of

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 18

The Make in India Initiative

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 20

From a device innovation perspective, foldable technology made a big impression in

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 21

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 23

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 24

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 25

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 27

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As people remained at home amidst the continued pandemic-induced lockdown, they

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 29

5G will positively impact the consumers create, communicate, collaborate, consume

In India, 5G readiness is one of the top three considerations amongst premium

Amongst early 5G adopters and 5G intenders in India, there is a strong appeal to

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 30

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 32

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 33

TVOD or Transaction Video on Demand could make a comeback. Direct to

Emergence of Smart SAAS usage-based models could start complimenting

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 34

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Vishal Maheshwari has been in senior leadership positions across consumer

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 36

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VR & AR Will Go Big

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 39

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Be it squad-based or individual gaming tournaments, the prize pools and rewards in

Wide Expansion of Network

Incredible Monetary Growth

Vamsi Krishna is the founder of The eSports Club.

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 42

As an early leader, Samsung continues to democratize foldable innovation with the

Beyond foldable innovation, the Android sea of sameness continues to see

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 45

There will be a cascading of leading tech specs, including 5G capabilities, to lower

CMR 4Ps REPORT 2021 47