Samsung has overtaken Apple to lead the 4G LTE devices market in India.

Samsung is leading the 4G LTE device segment in the January-March 2015 quarter, said CMR. The Korean company recorded 27 percent market share, displacing Apple from the top slot.

Xiaomi is in the second position with 17 percent share, and Apple with 15 percent share is in the third rank in terms of unit shipments in Q1 2015.

“Samsung made a jump from third spot to top spot mainly on account of the launch of new handset models like A5, A6 and S6. New brands entering this segment during the quarter were Huawei, Blackberry and ZTE,” said Vikrant Singh, analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice.

The number of players shipping 4G/LTE devices was 19 in Q1 2015 against 12 in Q4 2014.

The total models of 4G LTE handsets shipped during the January-March 2015 quarter were 55, with Lenovo’s A6000 leading with maximum units.

LTE device shipments in India reached 2.2 million units during January-March 2015. Smartphones contributed 97 percent of the 4G LTE devices shipped.

The 4G/LTE device market more than doubled quarter-on-quarter.

“With the kind of expected paradigm shift in quality as well as types of services after RJio goes live, device vendors are busy showcasing their competencies in the 4G/LTE space, not only to have an early mover advantage but also to position themselves as reliable vendors in the space,” said Faisal Kawoosa, lead analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice.

Datacard shipments were 2.64 percent of the total LTE 4G devices shipped. Datacard sales rose 287 percent quarter on quarter in Q1 2015. ZTE is the market leader in data cards business with 77 percent, Alcatel 17 percent and Huawei 5 percent.

Baburajan K
[email protected]