India mobile phone industry is set to grow 4 percent to 250 million units in 2016 – fuelled by 37 percent increase in smartphones.
The average growth of smartphones in India for the previous three years was 32 percent.
CMR expects 4G shipments in India to cross 50 million units in 2016. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Idea Cellular and Vodafone will fuel the 4G smartphone demand. Reliance Jio is aiming for 100 million 4G subscriber base in 2016-17.
4G and expansion of reach to Tier II and Tier III markets, besides the rural telecom markets are expected to be the main reasons behind the growth.
4G smartphones will continue to be the main focus this year as well, said CMR. With some operators already offering 4G services and many others going for a full scale commercial launch, the mobile handsets industry will keep itself busy enabling the 4G ecosystem.
