The mobile phone or handset market in India has always been price sensitive and there is a big opportunity for device manufacturers in the low cost or budget handset segment. This is evident from the fact that even global players like Samsung, Nokia and HTC, who are globally known for their premium products, have brought low cost offerings for the Indian customer.
“The entry of Indian mobile handset players focusing on low-end, value conscious consumers has intensified competition in the Indian mobile device market. The average selling price (ASP) of a mobile device is approximately Rs 2,200, with 75 per cent of devices sold costing below Rs 4,000,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.
Looking at the products being launched these days the most popular handset equipment brand Nokia launched dual SIM devices in both, the C2 and Asha series of phones, catering to budget conscious users. Similarly Samsung has been popular with the Chap and Champ and Star duos series that are in the budget category.
According to Gartner research the Indian market is projected to reach over 231 million units in 2012, an increase of 8.5 percent over 2011 sales of 213 million units. The mobile handset market is expected to show steady growth through 2015 when end user sales will surpass 322 million units. Of this, smartphone sales in India made up 6 per cent of total device sales in the first three quarters of 2011, and this share is expected to increase to 8 per cent in 2012.