MOBILITY-SEP-2016 by Mobility india

Mobility Monthly Magazine

September 2016

Issue 9

Volume 13

Pages 38

www.mobilityindia.com

BEYOND TECHNOLOGY, BEYOND LIFESTYLE

AFForDAble SMArtPHone SEGMENT UNAVOIDABLE FOR ANY BRAND

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ContentS

AFForDAble SMArtPHone SEGMENT UNAVOIDABLE FOR ANY BRAND

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NEWS

Editor Chief Editor Associate Editor (Tech,) Asst. Editor Art Director Creative Head Acct. & Finance Marketing Manager Marketing Executives

LAUNCHPAD

Circulation Manager

P. Biswas

Production

Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul

System Manager

Ajay Biswas

EDITORIAL

INTERACTION

Lephone: Our Aim is to Offer a Range of Phones that Caters to the Needs of the Entire Spectrum of the Common Man at Affordable Prices

SPECIAL STORY

Affordable smartphone segment unavoidable for any brand to stay in game

GUEST COLUMN

Swapan Roy Manoj Jha Jayanta Ghosh E.J. Jawahardatham Anit Kumar Karmendra Singh Negi Sandip Sarkar Tridip Dey Sujit Goswami, Pratap Biswas S. Dutt Raj Kumar

H.O.: Delhi / editorial Office Roy Mediative A-23, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 (INDIA) Mob: 09810380882, 09811346846 Ph: 91-11-41602841, 65683896, 40536384-87 redg.off.: 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India).

Ms Nidhi Markanday, Director & Business Head – Consumer Durables & IT, Intex Technologies

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Powering Mobility Lapcare LPB-52, LPB-104 & LPB-130

Orissa: Saraswati Behera Building, Kharavella Nagar, 2nd Lane, Near Jyoti Nagar, Berhampur-760001 (Orissa) (India) Contact : Raj Kumar-09338410809, 09439263711 Email : info@mobilityindia.com ncn_reporter@yahoo.com Mobility Monthly News Paper, Printed, Published & Owned by Swapan Roy at 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Printed at Pushpak Printer, C-96, Okhla Industrial Area-I, New Delhi-20. Retail selling price of a magazine copy Rs. 20/-. Annual subscription Rs. 240. Editor

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eDitoriAl

Affordable Handset Market gaining Higher ground

Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com

Affordable devices are not only easy for your pocket but these days all those amazing features from the flagship devices are slowly trickling down to the budget phones. And with the massive influx of handsets into the country, India has become one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world. Presently, with more than 2000 new devices launched every year with more and more brands entering into the market, the market dynamics are changing drastically. And in the recent times, many established and new brands are looking into the sub 5K and 5K - 10K segments to gain market share and play in volumes. It is very much evident that the cost of making smartphones is going down year by year and at the same time the competition in the market is going up month by month. And thanks to budget smartphone manufacturers, who are creating a completely new market of 4G devices, this situation is destined to look up in the coming year with many more innovations and services in the ofďŹ ng.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice

Zte AXon 7 Mini ZTE Axon 7 mini smartphone comes with a 5.20-inch display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels, powered by 1.2GHz octacore Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB. The ZTE Axon 7 mini packs a 16-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 8-megapixel front shooter. ZTE Axon 7 mini runs Android 6.0.1 and is powered by a 2705mAh and weighs 153.00 grams.

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TCL CORPORATION & ALCATEL TIES UP WITH JIO PREVIEW OFFER

TCL Corporation announced that it has joined hands with Reliance Jio to offer 3-month free unlimited LTE data and calls to the Indian customers. The consumers can avail the offers on TCL 560, TCL 562 and Alcatel smartphones. The offer allows users to avail unlimited voice, video, data and SMS for three months from the day the activation of the Jio SIM. Reliance is offering the Jio SIM for free. To avail the offer, users will have to download the MyJio app. Users will have the option to continue with the Jio commercial tariff plan once the validity expires. Users will have to provide their personal details like ID and address proof on MyJio app. A coupon will be generated which the user will have to show at any of nearest Reliance Digital stores , Xpress Mini stores, Modern trade stores along with the necessary documentation to get the free Jio sim card.

ERICSSON FIRST TO DELIVER 5G NR RADIO

Ericsson is commercializing the world’s first 5G NR radio for massive MIMO, with the first deployments coming in 2017. Together with the Ericsson 5G Plug-Ins announced in June and Ericsson’s already commercially available Radio System Baseband 5216, which currently powers Ericsson’s award-winning Radio Test Bed, Ericsson is first to deliver all components of a 5G access network. AIR 6468 combines advanced antennas with a large number of steerable ports to enable 5G technologies of beamforming, Massive MIMO and — building on that — Multi-user MIMO, initialized as MU-MIMO. These capabilities improve user experience while enhancing the capacity and coverage of the network and reducing interference. The new radio provides LTE support as well, so it is applicable in today’s networks.

LEECO ALIGNS WITH MAKE IN INDIA WITH ITS FIRST LOCAL MANUFACTURING FACILITY INAUGURATED BY UNION MINISTER RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD Within just 8 months of operations in India, the global internet technology conglomerate proudly announced the launch of its first state-of-the-art smartphone manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, India. This swift alignment with the Government’s Make in India initiativeis a reaffirmation of LeEco’s commitment to India and its longterm plans for the country. The facility has been set up at a significant investment of 5 million USD and a further 2 million USD has been earmarked for the automation process. Based in Greater Noida, the facility is spread over an area of 200,000 sq. feetand has a capacity of producing

HP INDIA ANNOUNCES ALLIANCE WITH RELIANCE RETAIL TO OFFER ON THE GO CONNECTIVITY TO ITS CUSTOMERS WITH JIO PREVIEW OFFER

HP has partnered with Reliance Retail to allow its new and existing laptop/desktop customers to avail the Jio Preview offer. Under this plan, HP customers will get an opportunity to test Jio services on a LYF powered JioFi device. HP customers will need to purchase the JioFi devices at Rs. 2899/- and they can enjoy unlimited access to 4G data for 90 days. To avail this offer, HP will send unique redemption code along with an invitation letter to its existing customers. The customers will have to visit Reliance Retail’s electronic retail store, Reliance Digital/ Digital Xpress Mini, with the redemption code and KYC documents to buy LYF powered JioFi device under this offer. On the purchase of JioFi device, users will also get complimentary 90 days of free unlimited 4G data, voice and video calls, SMS and access to Jio Premium apps.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

close to 60,000 phones per month initially.LeEco plans to rapidly ramp up the productionto approximately 200,000 Superphones per monthby the end of 2016. This facility will now ensure that users get the same quality of products manufactured locally at better price. LeEcois already employing close to 200 skilled employees at the facility andas it scales up manufacturing, it plans to ramp up this number signiﬁcantly.This initiative will be key to fostering innovation, protecting intellectual property and enhancing skill development.

HUAWEI FULLY UNVEILS ITS CLOUD STRATEGY AT HUAWEI CONNECT: A COMMITMENT TO ENABLING AN INTELLIGENT WORLD WITH ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS

More than 20,000 ICT industry leaders and experts from over 120 countries and regions gathered for the very first HUAWEI CONNECT, Huawei’s largest-ever integrated conference for the global ICT ecosystem. Held in Shanghai, the theme of this threeday event is “Shape the Cloud,” aimed at exploring cloud era trends and how different industries can achieve digital transformation by developing cloud technology and contributing to the cloud ecosystem. This event marks the first time that Huawei has publicly given a comprehensive look at its cloud strategy. During the first keynote, Ken Hu, Huawei’s Rotating CEO, explained that the company aims to position itself as the enabler and driver of an intelligent world. The company will hold true to its culture of customer-centricity, focus on ICT infrastructure, and provide innovative cloud technology.

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MOBIKWIK PARTNERS WITH 12 ELECTRICITY BOARDS IN 8 STATES

MobiKwik announced its tieups with 12 state electricity boards. The move comes as a part of MobiKwik’s expansion plan to set up a national base for utility payments. The state electricity boards that have been tied up with are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tripura, Meghalaya, Calcutta, Rajasthan and union territories of Daman and Diu. Customers in these states will now be able to pay their electricity bills using Mobikwik website or app. The company already provides bill payment services for prominent power discoms such as Reliance Energy, BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. and Chhattisgarh Electricity Board.

VODAFONE INDIA WELCOMES GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO ENABLE E-KYC USING AADHAR

Vodafone India has welcomed the Government’s decision to enable e-KYC using AADHAR. The e-KYC solution is an instant, secure and green mobile subscriber veriﬁcation project, where a customer’s AADHAR card and ﬁngerprints are adequate for both validating and activating new prepaid and postpaid connections. Customers will soon be able to walk in with their AADHAR card in any of the Vodafone Stores and walk out connected within minutes. Vodafone had partnered with the Department of Telecom (DoT) to pilot the AADHAR based e-KYC solutions in and test it successfully in two circles.

ONEPLUS UPGRADE PROGRAM ENABLES USERS EXCHANGE OLD SMARTPHONES FOR NEW ONEPLUS 3 OnePlus announced a unique upgrade programme which enables smartphone users to exchange their old smartphones for the newly launched OnePlus 3. The programme enables users of earlier OnePlus devices and other smartphone enthusiasts to swap their older smartphones and upgrade to the latest OnePlus 3. OnePlus 3 is powered by the latest hardware that includes 6GB RAM, Snapdragon 820 processor and is optimised with the quickest charging technology called ‘Dash Charge’ which helps juice up a day’s power in just half an hour. Users can return their old devices and get discounts upto 100% of the value of OnePlus 3. The exact amount of cashback depends upon the condition of their current devices and subject to evaluation and approval by programme partner Cashify.

COAI LAUDS THE GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO ALLOW THE USE OF ‘AADHAR’ E-KYC SERVICE OF UIDAI FOR ISSUING MOBILE CONNECTIONS

COAI welcomes the decision of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, to allow the use of Aadhar e-KYC service of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), for issuing connections to mobile subscribers in India. Besides ensuring security compliance and customer convenience, adoption of the e-KYC service in issuing new mobile connections will bring in more efficiency to the system. It is also a step in the right direction for the environment. Adoption of an identification-based process will usher in many benefits. For one, it will address the problem of fraudulent elements getting telephone connections on forged or fake documents. A biometric- or iris-based verification system will provide a foolproof method to eliminate such fraudulent activations. This will also allay fears in the minds of customers of their documents being misused. An Aadharbased activation process will also bring in process efficiency by supporting the mammoth infrastructure otherwise required for connecting millions of verified citizens.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

SNAPDEAL LAUNCHES ITS OWN CLOUD – SNAPDEAL CIRRUS

Snapdeal cloud is built entirely on open source with OpenStack at the center, making it not just an industry-ﬁrst in India, but also one of the largest OpenStack deployments of a hybrid cloud anywhere in the world. Snapdeal Cirrus spans across three data center regions, with a highly dense server architecture of 100,000 cores, 16 PB of storage and a robust 100G SDN infrastructure - an investment made by very few companies globally. Snapdeal Cirrus is a true hybrid cloud, which expands seamlessly to public and allows various

applications to be dynamically assigned to run in different parts of the cloud. Digital commerce in India is in the early stages of growth with about 80 million online shoppers, which is expected to grow to 175 million by 2020.

lAUnCHPAD

MSI LAUNCHED ZIOX UNVEILS THE Z6 & Z7 AT RS.2043/Ziox unveiled the Z6 & the Z7 devices which pack a bigger WORLD’S 1ST NOTEBOOK WITH NVIDIA punch than ever before with seamless entertainment & stunning design, power packed all-in-one. With features such as GEFORCE GTX 10 SOS, Massive Battery, Bluetooth, regional language support SERIES GRAPHICS and more- the phone guarantees to leave users spellbound

MSI delivers whole level gaming notebooks from GT series, GS series and GE series comes with VR Ready by latest GEFORCE GTX graphics, from GEFORCE GTX 1080 SLI of GT83VR Titan SLI, GEFORCE GTX 1070

of GT72VR, GEFORCE GTX 1060 of GS63VR Stealth and GE62VR Apache Pro, that could fulﬁll most of the gamers’ demand in every segment.MSI has always been numero uno, continuing the same legacy and the tradition, has become 1st one to launch top level GEFORCE GTX SLI graphics in the market, and always have new ultra slim gaming notebooks with enthusiast GEFORCE GTX graphics in the market every year.

YU LAUNCHES YUREKA S AND YUNIQUE PLUS

YU, announced the launch YUREKA S and YUNIQUE Plus. Both YUREKAthe Zeus of the phones and YUNIQUE- the world’s most affordable HD 4G LTE smartphone received spectacular response from the Phono Sapiens. The next generation versions of both the smartphones- YUREKA S and

with its features at the best prices. Harnessing the full potential of the feature phone, Z6 comes with an SOS feature, which also addresses the need of today’s generation- a dedicated mechanism to trigger calls and SMS to predefined contacts, whereas Z7 is one of the first handset in a feature phone to support local languages to enable all Indians to use Mobile phones with vernacular languages.Featuring a classy texture finish, sleek and slim looks, both Dual SIM feature phones are designed to fit well within your palm and can slip easily in your pocket. The 2.4 inch wide displays, amplifies multimedia experience for great readability and wider viewing angles. The multi-format support one can also support varied media formats and is expandable up to 16 GB. To back it all the heavy duty 1450 mAh battery on both the devices give you longer hours to work & play at your comfort.

INTEX LAUNCHES CLOUD TREAD

Intex Technologies has announced the launch of its latest smartphone – Cloud Tread with the fastest Hexa Core processor. The device comes with a smart motion technology to ensure handsfree experience like no other. The device will be sold exclusively via flash sale on Snapdeal at a competitive price of INR 4,999/-.The new device flaunts a 5’’ HD screen with Dragontrail shield and ships with the Android 5.1 Lollipop. The sleek handset comes with a powerful 1.5 GHz Hexa Core processor with MediaTek chipset that not only lets the user multi-task smoothly but also ensures maximum efﬁciency.It is also backed by sumptuous 2 GB RAM, 16 GB inbuilt memory (expandable up to 32GB) and a 2200 mAh battery, which can run the phone for up to 11 hours of talk time and close to 200 hours under standby mode.

ASUS PRESENTS ZENVOLUTION IN INDIA

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen announced the availability of the latest ZenFone 3 range of smartphones during the Zenvolution press event, making India one of the ﬁrst countries to have access to the stunning new line-up of smartphones. The event in India saw the launch of ASUS ZenBook 3, an ultra-sleek and lightweight notebook with a premium aluminum design, and ASUS Transformer 3

Pro, the world’s most versatile PC. During the event, ASUS brand ambassador Sonakshi Sinha walked the ramp as the showstopper for a fashion show, organized by ASUS in association with designer-duo Shivan & Narresh, to celebrate the technological progress signiﬁed by Zenvolution. Shivan & Narresh’s designs reflected the modern and slim look of the ZenFone 3 Series.

WITHINGS NEW WIRELESS BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR

Withings unveils the Wireless Blood Pressure Moni-

KARBONN BRINGS 3D VIDEO VIEWING AT UNDER 5K PRICE POINT

YUNIQUE Plus come with enhanced performance, best in class software and a promise to deliver more every single time. Mobility SePteMber 2016

Bolstering its successful K9 series portfolio, Karbonn Mobiles launched K9 Viraat at 4,799. Recognizing the entertainment needs of the consumer, the device comes bundled with 3D apparatus and large 13.97 cm (5.5’) screen for an unbeatable video experience. K9 Viraat comes integrated with Android 6.0 Marshmallow for a smooth Smartphone experience. The 13.97 cm HD IPS screen offers superior colour and picture quality that reproduces as many as 16 M colors for superior video quality. For photography and selﬁe enthusiasts, the device offers 5.0 MP rear and a 3.2 MP front camera. With an outstanding processor of 1.3 Ghz Quad Core Processor makes for a smooth glitch-free multi-tasking experience.

tor revamped version of its award-winning Smart Blood Pressure Monitor. By making it completely wireless and adding Android compatibility, Withings takes its vision of user-friendly connected health even further.

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ZEBRONICS LAUNCHES ITS 21.5” LED MONITOR

Zebronics, a brand known for its diversiﬁed technological innovations to create enriching experiences, makes another addition to its ergonomic range of LED Monitors with ‘Pure Pixel’ designed with crisp full HD resolution & 500000:1 contrast ratio that delivers deeper

blacks, more brilliant whites and richer colours for clearer & vibrant images, truly the “pure pixel” experience! Featuring ultra slim, and sleek proﬁle Zeb Pure pixel sports a glossy front panel and stand, adding modern look to your space.

DAIWA LAUNCHES ITS 40” FULL HD LED TV

Catapulting the television technology industry to the next pedestal of aestheticism, bravura and functionality, Daiwa announces the launch of its 40” LED TV. The company is a part of Videotex International Pvt. Ltd, a 32 year old, premier LED Television ODM Company that manufactures for a ma-

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES Z2, THE FIRST TIZEN PORTRONICS POWERED 4G SMARTPHONE; PRE-LOADED LAUNCHES “TRING”: A SMART KEY-FINDWITH JIO SERVICES Samsung India launched its ﬁrst 4G enabled Tizen-pow- ER CUM ANTI-LOST ered smartphone, ALARM Samsung Z2. Built on the Tizen platform, Samsung Z2 caters to the requirements of new smartphone users transitioning from a feature phone. Driven by the success of Z1 and Z3, and taking forward the smart, fun and simple attributes of Tizen platform, Samsung Z2 has been customised to offer unique value to the Indian consumers. The device comes with powerful speciﬁcations, pre-loaded essential apps and Samsung’s popular ‘Make for India’ features such as the Ultra Data Saving mode, S bike mode and the new My Money Transfer, to drive smartphone adoption. Samsung Z2 comes with a complimentary invitation to the Jio Preview Offer to avail free voice and data services in the trial period. Z2 users will also get complimentary access to premium Jio applications – My Jio, Jio on Demand, Jio Beats – with unlimited options of latest movies, TV shows and songs across multiple languages during the Jio Preview offer.

GIONEE LAUNCHES ITS S6S, FIRST FRONT FLASH SMARTPHONE IN INDIA

Gionee, a leading global provider of mobile devices announced the launch of S6s, it’s first front flash smartphone in India. Equipped with a stunning 8 MP Front Camera with Selfie Flash (High CRI), a screen that lights up to brighten pictures regardless of the light conditions and finger print sensor, Gionee S6s promises to capture the best selfie moments, in a fast and convenient manner. It is future ready and supports both 4G and VoLTE. S6s will be available across India in colour variants of Mocha Gold and Latte Gold, at a price of 17,999 INR. It will also be available on Amazon, Gionee’s official online partner for S6s.The Gionee S6s is a true ensemble of craft and elegance with a Solid and Gentle 2.5D water-drop Corning Gorilla Glass with Native Damage Resistance.

HUAWEI LAUNCHES P9

jority of leading brands in the Indian market. The all new Daiwa 40” (102cm) FULL HD TV boasts of Cinema Zoom Mode, Smart Energy Saving Eco Vision, Full HD (1920*1080), HRDP tech for fast moving gaming with crystal clear picture quality, multimedia connectivity via 2 USB and 2 HDMI ports, and power audio.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

Huawei Smartphones announced the launch of its much anticipated Huawei P9 at an exclusive event in Delhi. Created in collaboration with Leica Camera AG, the globally renowned manufacturer of cameras and sport optics products, the P9 is the ﬁrst smartphone co-engineered by the companies that has a dual-lens camera, setting new benchmarks in smartphone photography. The two rear cameras of the Huawei P9 work in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail, depth and color by capturing more light and stitching together both vivid colors and monochrome images.

Portronics, a prominent leader in the innovative and portable digital product market, has launched one of the most amazing two-way antilost cum key-ﬁnder – Tring. Even worst, if young chil-

dren or pets wander away in a park or a shopping mall and are very much untraceable. Tring comes to the rescue and has a unique role to play. “Tring” is a small, smart and reliable solution to these big problems. Tring is a multi-purpose device which offers two-way anti-lost function, a key-ﬁnder function and a Remote-Camera Shutter function.

ZTE’S NEW AXON 7 MINI

ZTE, unveiled the latest addition to its flagship AXON series, the AXON 7 mini. The new device, which ZTE introduced during this year’s IFA trade show in Berlin, incor-

porates many of the awardwinning features consumers’ value from the AXON 7, all within a 5.2-inch screen size. The AXON 7 mini delivers arguably the highest quality audio experience available in smartphones today thanks to a concerted collaboration led by ZTE with different audio associations, including professors at the prestigious Golden Ears Conservatory of Music.

interACtion

“oUr AiM iS to oFFer

A RANGE OF PHONES THAT CATERS TO THE NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF THE COMMON MAN AT AFFORDABLE PRICES” Chongqing Blephone Technology, a China-based company, launched its range of highly affordable, sleek and feature intensive mobile phones. Dubbed as the aam aadmi ka phones, they will be sold under the popular brand name of Lephone. These entry level phones will be available at a staggering Rs 799 while their smart phones will begin at an equally jaw-dropping price of Rs 1999. We will play around affordable samrtphone segment in India and our price will be around 3000 to 10,000 bracket. And very soon we will launch 5 new smartphones and all will be 4G enabled and with every product we are more focusing on affordability and du-

rability not for any innovation. The feature phone variants of K1, K1P and K3 will not only be reasonably priced, they will also have sleek designs and provide greater battery life and extendable memory support. The most exciting feature of Lephone K3 variant is it being the ‘senior citizen phone’ which is one of its kind in the market. Priced at Rs 1499 MRP, the K3 is equipped with large screens (6cm-2.4) with easy to read querty and single menu icons for hassle-free usage. The ﬁve option SOS button makes K3 a sure winner for women and senior citizens from the safety point of view.

Mr. Amit Saxena, vP,

Marketing, Lephone india Our main aim is to digitally empowering every citizen of India with our vast range, we are targeting tire 2-3 and 4 market. “ we already have more then 61 distributors in UP and Rajasthan is also another key state for us. Right now we have introduced 3 feature phone models and in the coming time we will be bringing quality smartphones in India”.

he Chinese behemoth, established in 2005, began its operations in India this February by setting up its office and factory. It moved rapidly since then, registering the brand in March, producing its first made-in-India phone in April and setting up its distribution and service networks by July. Today, Lephone already has 33 affiliates and over 500 dedicated service locations in India to cater to its customers well before the official launch.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

K1P

Lephone K1 is powered by 1000mAh battery which gives you upto 4hrs of talktime and standby time of 10 days. Supports upto 32 GB of memory and has a 1.8 inch display, it also equipped with an digital camera and Bluetooth/WAP/GPRS enabled.

K1P is another feature phone that gives you more power with a 1450mAh battery. This phone easily give you 6hrs of talktime and a bigger screen of 1.8 with a screen resolution of 320x240. Also has a torch that come handy at any emergency situations.

The K3 phone comes with bigger screen of 2.4 cm and 64x480 screen resolution. This looks much premium with a durable body and attractive colors. Gives you talk time of more the 6hrs with its 1450mAh battery. This has also a torch that comes handy.

SPeCiAl Story

AFForDAble SMArtPHone SEGMENT UNAVOIDABLE FOR ANY BRAND

to StAy in gAMe W

ith the massive influx of handsets into the country, India has become one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world. Presently, with more than 2000 new devices launched every year with more and more brands entering into the market, the market dynamics are changing drastically. And in the recent times, many established and new brands are looking into the sub Rs 5K and Rs 5-10K segments to gain market share and play in volumes. It is very much evident that the cost of making smartphones is going down year by year and at the same time the competition in the market is going up month by month. And thanks to budget smartphone manufacturers, who are creating a completely new market of 4G devices, this situation is destined to look up in the coming year with many more innovations and services in the ofﬁng. In their interactions with Mobility magazine, some prominent handset providers share their views.

iMPortAnCe oF tHe SUb 5K AnD 5-10K SegMentS

Now it has become essential for every handset provider to play their level best in the sub 5k and 5-10k segments to win a share and stay in the market. Keshav Bansal, Director, Intex Technologies, asserts, “India is a geographically diverse country and the demand for smartphones coming from markets beyond the metros and Tier 2 & 3 cities. The Indian market is price-sensitive but consumers don’t mind paying a little more for better quality so our objective is to bring the best quality products at competitive prices. Keeping this in mind, it is important to have a product portfolio that caters to a wider range of requirements. Being an Indian brand, we have always brought innovative products at competitive prices for all. We believe in providing consumers with the best quality at competitive prices. Since inception, Intex has positioned itself as a brand that empowers masses with the latest technology at affordable price-points. We unMobility SePteMber 2016

derstand consumers and their requirements well and so, have been recognized for democratizing smartphones in India.” Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India Pvt Limited, states, “The below 10K segment is very important to vendors because most of the buyers in India are first time users; a good experience can make them loyal and a bad experience vice-versa. This segment is highly competitive also because users want more power packed at affordable price-points and this is where the largest proportion of buyers are present.” Rajesh Dusarlapudi, Country Manager, STK Devices – India, opines, “This price segment has the max potential. In India with a huge middle class population, the mid-segment phones are the most sought after in the market. When we combine luxury to affordability, we get noticed.” Vineet Mahajan, Product Head at Videocon Mobiles, says, “In the Indian mobile handset market, the devices in the sub 5K and 5-10K price categories cover over 60% of the total smartphone sales. Currently this is the segment where the revolution is taking place. Today, the mobile phone industry is seriously looking forward for new trends and innovations in this affordable price range. While India is a price-sensitive market, the initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ have further boosted the confidence of local players; consumers today are more inclined to buying locally manufactured smartphones in this price range. In general, it is very difficult for smartphones manufacturers to tap a particular smartphone market segment, as there is intense competition in each segment. However, the focus has always been on the affordable category, which is the main area of the smartphone adoption in markets like India. Videocon is a brand focused on this mass segment and we believe in coming up with the latest technology for the consumers at the right price-points. We have recently launched Krypton3 smartphone in this price segment and plan to come up with more devices in this price range.”

SPeCiAl Story

Mr. Keshav bansal

Director, Intex Technologies “Intex’s strategy of hiring regional brand ambassadors gave us tremendous response from the consumers. Our brand’s strong emphasis on innovation, vibrant distribution network, novel marketing plans and active after-sales service helped us to penetrate even into difficult markets.” Deepak Kabu, CEO, Ziox Mobiles, states, “It will be safe to say that in general every provider is now approaching consumers who socially occupy the ‘value-for-money’ space and the mobile industry is no different from the FMCG category in following this trend. The sub 5K and 5-10K segments occupy prime position in the Indian mobile industry as this is where the volume & value proposition play out in their full potential. In an increasingly commoditized market, the devices planned across the industry have roughly the same features & specifications - the edge then lies with devices and brands, which offer the right mix of features, price and service that will attract & retain consumers for the long run.” Sanjay Kalirona, CEO, Zen Mobile, elaborates, “The smartphone industry in India has undergone a dramatic change where affordability has been one of the prime drivers. Currently, 60% of the smartphone users prefer to buy smartphones under 8K and the smartphone players are constantly competing over specifications, features and pricing. With the rising number of the first time smartphone users, the lower segment and mid-segment will continue to see growth. In order to have a strong market presence and cut through the clutter in this segment, it is vital to have a robust distribution network. We at Zen, one of the oldest brands, are constantly working towards offering devices that are a perfect amalgamation of features and price which is lucrative to customer. We have been focusing on adding high quality display and working towards increasing battery optimization which continues to be a pain-point for the customers. Being an Indian brand, affordability is an imperative for us. We now have 6 devices in the range of Rs. 2000 to Rs. 6000 giving consumers more options to choose from, based on their preferences and purchasing power. Before Diwali, we plan to launch more than 5 smartphone models. We are also planning to strengthen our distribution network by appointing 400 more partners in the next 6-8 months along with 50,000 retail points. Additionally, we plan to directly reach out to 1000 towns across India where we have sales and service network.” Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles, explains, “There is still a huge untapped growth potential for smart telephony in India to bring the next billion users under the smartphone-fold. Focus on consumer experience over hardware specs and building local language support are going to be the upcoming trends that will drive growth in diverse markets. All these packed at affordable prices will be a must for every smartphone vendor to target their desired markets.” Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India, opines “Despite being home to the second largest smartphone user base in the world, nearly 70 percent of the Indian population is yet to own a smartphone. India being a price sensitive market, it is essential to strike the right balance between quality and value proposition. As a result, almost all major mobile companies currently operational in India have renewed their focus on feature-driven entry-level smartphones, as they look to make the most of the business prospects offered by the growing push for digitisation.” Shripal Gandhi, Founder & CEO- Swipe Technologies, reveals, “India is a developing country. Not every person can afford overpriced products like a premium smartphone. If we

look into the Tier 3 or 4 markets, the price of a device does matter. Swipe being a technology-based brand, we mainly target the Tier 2 & 3 markets. The industry has a massive, fast-paced environment where products are constantly updating & changing. Some of the characteristics that consumers consider are aesthetics, features, price, hardware & software functionality but most important of them is the price. Looking at it from a business point of view, the most important aspect to build budget-friendly smartphones is to attract the users and expand our market share. Our faith is to create new technologies within an affordable price range. Hence, we build smartphones that are pocket-friendly and easily accessible.”

BeST FeATUreS AND ServiCeS THe BrANDS CAn oFFer in tHe AFForDAble SegMent

India is a price-sensitive market and providers have to pack as many features as possible in their handsets and offer the best possible services to stay in the market. Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies clariﬁes, “At Intex, our aim is to be present where the consumers are and we have successfully catered to the needs of consumers across price segments. We are giving the best in terms of dual-SIM, long-lasting battery, smartphones with big screens & high-end processors, Matrabhasha (mother tongue) phones that enable communication in 21 Indian regional languages, big data saver, women safety app, Sashakt, etc. Intex has always focused on consumers’ needs. We are one of the ﬁrst players to enter 4G/LTE segment and have already launched our affordable 4G series. Ours is an innovation-based company offering competitive prices backed by strong offline and online distribution & robust after-sales service. Intex’s robust distribution network is up to Tehsil level. To further strengthen our network, in 2015, we had opened our exclusive branded stores - ‘Intex Smart World’ experience zones expanding our reach and consumer satis-

Mr. Syed Tajuddin CEO, Coolpad India Pvt Limited “The more a brand engages with the customers, the more loyalty the brand gains. These customers will eventually become the brand’s advocates. Coolpad’s market strategy is founded on this principle.” faction. Currently, Intex has more than 75 Smart World stores covering 50+ cities across the country. The approach of Intex is to work towards improving the quality of life of consumers by providing superior quality products at unique price points.” Syed Tajuddin of Coolpad adds, “Coolpad Note 3 and Note 3 Lite disrupted the market, being the perfect smartphones in the below 10K range, and also set the bench mark for other players. With the launch of Mega 2.5D, yet another benchmark is in the making, a 7K product with a 5.5 HD screen and a 3GB RAM. We don’t load our devices with whatever resources that are available at our disposal, instead we add features that are relevant to the segment we are targeting and try to satisfy them with our quality and commitment.” According to Rajesh Dusarlapudi of STK, “Design of the right phone is our ﬁrst differentiator. ‘STK Care’ and free insurance are among several services we provide to the consumer through our in-built app STK OFFERS.” Vineet Mahajan of Videocon reveals, “With world-class R&D and manufacturing capabilities, Videocon is coming up with smartphones which not only stand under the affordable price segment, but also offer the latest features and utility led specs for all. As new trends like 4G and VoLTE are making

Mobility SePteMber 2016

SPeCiAl Story

Mr. Deepak Kabu CEO, Ziox Mobiles

“The sub-5K and 5K-10K segments are the volume & the value play out in full potential. In the today’s increasingly commoditized smartphone market where most brands present roughly the same features, the brands that offer the right mix of features, price and services will have the edge.” their way into the industry, Videocon is also coming up with smartphones that are in-line with these trends. Our recently launched Krypton3 is packed with 4G VoLTE network support, 2GB RAM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow and 3000 mAh battery with 20% faster charging. Going forward, Videocon will be coming up with more such feature-packed smartphones in the coming months. To achieve this, we will keep investing in our mobile devices business and building up the brand in the market. We are committed to become one of the most technologically respected mobile players in the Indian handset industry.” Deepak Kabu from Ziox states, “At Ziox, it is our principle to innovate as a matter of routine and not as a sudden urge. Having introduced devices across screen sizes with a myriad of features, we are constantly challenging the industry in making luxury features as hygiene in Ziox devices. Having made the LED torch and memory card slots standardized across all our devices, we are in the process of implementing SOS functions (panic button), 8 GB in-built internal memory and other such features as standardized. We are in the process of rolling out some devices in the market which will have these features.” Shashin Devsare of Karbonn explains, “Karbonn Mobiles has been working towards offering affordable smartphone devices and will continue to do so in the near future. We have successfully launched smartphones integrated with highly intuitive features and pre-embedded apps which makes the usage easy irrespective of users’ digital proficiency. With the recent launch of our new products (Karbonn Quattro L52 and Karbonn Titanium Mach 6), we have made foray into virtual reality segment because this is the next big growth area in consumer segment. We have also recently announced our foray into Artificial Intelligence with the visual e-commerce search app - Fashion Eye and are extremely excited to venture into this exciting space. Soon, we shall be coming up with our range of Smart TVs, specifically designed for the Indian consumer. At Karbonn, our endeavor is to continuously work on innovating technologies for the masses at affordable pricepoints. Packed with technology, all our devices will surely be the best budget gift for your loved ones.” Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India adds, “We are focussing on providing our users with products that are equipped with best-in-class features within their price range. We are aiming to be the brand of choice for the Indian masses with our focus on camera quality, long lasting battery and 4GLTE connectivity. Our aim is to offer impeccable quality not only in our smart phones portfolio but also in the smart keypad phones. itel strives to bring the value plus products at a pocket friendly pricing to every nook and corner of the country. For example, we provide phones with 25% more battery capacity in comparison to other brands in the same price segment. Our products are also benchmarked for superior camera quality that serves to differentiate our offerings from other products within similar price range. This great addition of value to every product is made possible due to our dedicated R&D team which has been instrumental in helping us carve our own niche in the highly competitive Indian mobile and

Mobility SePteMber 2016

smartphone industry.” Shirpal Gandhi from Swipe asserts, “At Swipe, what keeps us going is a sense of creating something new every day and to make things happen. Our strategy is to differentiate ourselves and create a strong brand loyalty. We focus on innovation, R&D and we have become so attuned to consumer characteristics and value that we can predict their wants & needs ahead of the curve. The principle of offering the right price, quality & performance of the products is at the core of Swipe’s marketing strategy to retain the brand loyal customers and win new customers. Technology is something that should be available in every nook and corner of the world. Today, the latest technologies are easily available in the market round the globe. However, the fact that there is no convenient reach implies that each and every person cannot afford to own these products.

CHAllengeS AnD oPPortUnitieS in tHiS SegMentS

According to Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies, “The industry is going through a lot of changes in terms of acceptability; marketing spends and demands of the customers. The main challenge today is the rapidly changing needs of mobile users across the country. The way Chinese factories are entering the Indian market with their own brands; depressing prices are forcing the Indian mobile makers to rethink their strategies. Another key challenge is to garner space in the consumer minds and to maintain consistency in the quality and pricing of the product. Needless to say, the Indian market is very competitive in nature. Having said that, I am happy to share that we are seeing a great traction for our devices and we are overwhelmed by the response to our innovations. The biggest advantage with Intex is that we have a legacy of a 20-year-old brand. We have been in the industry for a longer time than most of the brands and thus we have a better understanding of the customers and their needs. We understand the pulse of the consumer better and we have a strong distribution network. Online continues to grow, but still in India the mobiles are sold more through the traditional trade model. As well known, currently we are the largest speaker brand in India.” Syed Tajuddin of Coolpad believes, “There were many challenges when we decided to build note 3 and note 3 lite but we managed to overcome the difﬁculties and build products that made smartphone companies think differently. Innova-

Mr. vineet Mahajan Product Head, Videocon Mobiles “Videocon is a trusted brand in the country and consumers understand our product value. Videocon products are widely appreciated for groundbreaking innovations and value for money positions in the market. Videocon has a wide service network, retail presence and vast consumer base in the tier 3, tier 4 and small cities.” tions on their own are not the only resolve, but the company has to think like the customer; thinking from the customers’ perspective is the biggest challenge I believe. The best way to build trust in the customer is to handhold them till the end. Right from the time a customer makes a purchase, it is the company’s prerogative to help them at each step namely with sales, after sales and even after the end of the product cycle, and continue to engage with them through innovative communication channels.” Rajesh Dusarlapudi of STK thinks, “The biggest challenge will be to keep pace with the latest innovations and try to give

SPeCiAl Story

them to the consumer at affordable prices. ‘BIG FEATURES at BUDGET PRICES’ will be a great challenge and also a great opportunity.” Vineet Mahajan of Videocon elaborates, “Indian market is flooded with the foreign players in the affordable smartphone segment. There is a lot of action going on in sub 10K category. While the visibility and action of the foreign brands is noticeable, Indian manufacturers are giving a tough competition in 5K and 10K price bracket. For high-end technology, many companies in India are not equipped with the engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Videocon stands tall when it comes to offering power-packed devices at affordable prices. After a huge success of feature phones in semi urban and rural India, now, there is a huge scope for the smartphone ac-

Mr. Shashin Devsare Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles

“There is still a huge untapped potential for smart telephony in India. Segment-speciﬁc hardware features, local language support, affordability etc are going to be the upcoming trends that will drive the Indian smart phone markets in the near future.” ceptance. However, these areas are price-sensitive where only affordable range can create a huge market for mobile players. The challenge for all the players is to reach out to mass consumers in a strategic manner and keep pushing the limits of innovations with limited margins. Affordability and quality being the pull factors here, the need of the hour is to introduce a mass portfolio of smartphones and bring top features at highly affordable prices, thus acquire a large market share.” Deepak Kabu from Ziox elaborates, “The biggest challenge is meeting the demand in this segment. No matter what numbers are manufactured or rolled out, it will always be found short of the requirement in the market. As responsible manufacturers, we want to make sure that each and every individual device that goes out from the Ziox factory is as per our rigorous quality checks, meeting all compliances. And so, while we take some time in rolling out devices in the segment, we make sure that it will be a device completely satisfactory to our consumers. The biggest opportunity in this segment is the constant need for innovation and demand for better products which drive us to design efﬁcient & effective products. While sheer numbers of this segment allow for almost any brand to sell, it is an entirely different ballgame when one needs to be a true partner to consumers and not just a seller. “ Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India feels, “In a country as vast and diverse as India, the biggest challenge, at the moment, lies in identifying the varying needs of consumers from different markets and providing them with the mosttailored smartphone solutions to meet their requirements. Any smartphone manufacturer that manages to meet consumer expectations with its products will reap great dividends, both in terms of revenues and the market share, in the coming future. The entry level smartphone users still believe in touch and feel of the product before making a purchasing decision and goes majorly with the retailers recommendation. We have strong network of distributors and huge connect with the retailers who is helping a huge penetration for our products in the market we have launched so far.” Shirpal Gandhi from Swipe comments, “The segment of the Smartphone market that caters to high end smartphone users is reaching a saturation point. In the years to come, the

growth of this industry is expected to be based on signiﬁcantly decreased prices. The smartphone as a product will be less dependent on technical superiority & more dependent on reliability & value. Products can become redundant or they can lower the demand for existing products by almost cannibalizing another product. The industry can regulate this challenge by influencing the introduction of new technologies and the consumers’ ability or willingness to conform to the new technologies.”

wiNNiNG THe CUSTOMer CONFiDeNCe iN T3, T4 CiTieS iS A CHALLeNGe FOr BrANDS

As Tier 1 and 2 cities getting saturated, the Tier 3-4 cities are emerging as main attractions for mobile providers. The Tier 3 and 4 cities being high in number and most consumers are in the process of switching from feature phones to smart phones, these cities offer enormous opportunities. Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies feels, “Intex Technologies has witnessed accelerated growth in the last few years with a CAGR of 82% over the past 3 financial years. Today, Intex is one of the leading mobile handset companies in India as per the industry analysts. In last 15 years, Intex Technologies’ revenue has grown manifold from INR 32 crore in 2001 to INR 6231 crore in FY2015-16. This phenomenal growth has come on the back of innovative products, strong service & distribution strategy and aggressive marketing to connect with the target audience. As a consumer-oriented company, Intex has always focused on consumer satisfaction and on maintaining a robust distribution and retail presence through ‘Intex Smart World’ stores across the country. Our aggressive and customer-friendly approach has enabled us to grow consistently and we are confident of continuing the trend. Being a domestic handset player, Intex has always kept pace with technological developments and market demands. The industry today is transitioning to 4G-LTE and Intex was among the first to foray into 4G segment in 2015.” In the words of Syed Tajuddin of Coolpad, “The more a brand engages with customer, the more loyalty the brand gains. These customers will eventually become that brand’s advocates. So it is essential for a brand to build these brand advocates, trust is just the first step.” Rajesh Dusarlapudi of STK briefs, “The trust comes from

Mr. Sanjay Kalirona CEO, Zen Mobile “We at Zen are constantly working towards offering devices that are a perfect amalgamation of features and price lucrative to customer. To strengthen our distribution network we are going to appoint 400 more partners in the current ﬁnancial year and want to directly reach out to 1000 towns across India through over 50,000 retail points.”

the quality of our phones at affordable prices and from the services we render to the consumers, for example, FREE Insurance.” In the words of Vineet Mahajan of Videocon, “Videocon is a trusted brand in the country and consumers understand our product value. We are a market leader in major consumer categories and this success is the result of our constant effort to offer quality products at affordable prices. Videocon products are widely appreciated for groundbreaking innovations and value for money positions in the market. As we cover almost all the major markets whether it is Tier 3, Tier 4 cities or met-

Mobility SePteMber 2016

SPeCiAl Story

ros and with our aggressive marketing, promotion and retail presence, we have been able to attain a strong reach in these regions. I would also like to add that we have a wide service network, retail presence and vast consumer base in the Tier 3, Tier 4 and small cities.” Deepak Kabu from Ziox states, “As I mentioned before,

Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO, itel Mobile India

“Quality often speaks for itself, and therefore our focus is on providing the Indian consumer with high-quality, value-plus products which will help us in carving out our own niche in the Indian mobile and smartphone industry.

the target for Ziox isn’t to have more buyers, it is to have and to be true partners. Tier 3 & 4 cities are not to be treated as cash-cows but as fields where Ziox can truly harvest the seeds of sound productivity, efficient manufacturing practices and thorough product development. The brand Ziox has to be a partner to consumers. Ziox is progressing well on this front.” Shashin Devsare of Karbonn reveals, “As India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the smartphone industry in India is growing very fast. Today, the smartphone has become an essential part of personal and business life. There has been a continuous increase in disposable income in the country and the attitudes and aspirations of the consumers are changing rapidly. Today consumers are very price-sensitive and aspire for products which bring them the best in quality at the most affordable price point. It is here that we come into the picture and offer them the best quality mobile technology at a price which is well within their reach. We believe in pricing our products as per our consumers buying capability and thus bring to them the best value-for-money offering. Our high-end smartphones have top specs and they come at half the price of similar products offered by our competitors. Our principle is to bring world-class technology at local pricings and to take innovative technology to the masses. Today’s smart consumers aspire to own a budget device with maximum features and we have continued to meet the rising expectations of the consumers.” Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India stated, “At itel, we are focussed on delivering the most value-driven products to our users in order to make mobile ownership more accessible and ‘within your means’. Our products are specifically tailored to meet the requirements of the hitherto untapped rural and semi-urban consumers, as well as socio economic classes C, D and E. This focus on delivering value-plus, user-centric offerings has served to differentiate us from our competitors and has fostered trust within our target demographic. Nearly 90% of our mobile models stand out from the crowd due to our value-added approach, and have been steadily creating their own segments with little or no competition over time. There is a significant word of mouth for our products in the market, due to our high specifications, unique service proposition of 100 days replacement warranty and service network availability. On-ground activation and engagement program playing a vital role. We have successfully sold more than 1.4 million handsets in just a couple of months since itel’s operational launch in India which shows the confidence that we have started garnering from our consumers in the Indian market.” Shirpal Gandhi from Swipe feels, “It’s normal human belief that lower priced products cannot be used for a longer time period. Swipe as a brand focuses more on the Tier 3-4

Mobility SePteMber 2016

cities because that is the market where people want the latest technology at affordable prices. We offer products designed with comprehensive expertise at budget-friendly rates and that gives us an edge thus making the consumers to build trust in our brand. Tier 3 and 4 segment is characterized by quickly evolving technology & designs, short product life cycles, aggressive pricing, technology advancements and highly pricesensitive consumers between the age-group of 18-35 years. Since the youth is one of key drivers of smartphone adoption in the country, we continue to innovate and introduce products and services that keep them engaged.”

to eXPAnD tHeir reACH & SCoPe

Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies clarifies, “Our channel strategy has always been a vital part of our growth plans. With a strong network of partners and our focus is towards reaching the consumers across the country. We have 80,000 retail partners and have a running program of distributor meets & training that perfect them in learning our technology and strategy. Providing experience with the expertise thru in-shop demonstrators and product specifications detailing are part of reinforcing the sales efforts. At Intex, we make sure that we give them special schemes to motivate and sustain their performance.” Syed Tajuddin Coolpad says, “We are an online brand and have only recently started an offline retail pilot program. We are expecting good results.” Rajesh Dusarlapudi from STK confides, “We very closely coordinate and work in tandem with retail chains. We understand their cost of doing business and ensure the right margins on our brand keep them happy. We intend to invest our bit in setting up SIS units for their stores; we invest on co branded boards for these chains.” Deepak Kabu of Ziox shares, “The physical brick-andmortar format will be our focus channel for the near future. The need to be connected and to know our consumers personally is very strong for us. Investments towards this channel in maintaining the confidence that the channel has placed in us will be important to ensure that our last mile visibility, read visibility as our need for consumer-connect, is top notch. It is the personal connect with our last mile team and through them our consumers that we will know what they want, straight from them and will be able to make better products & services.” Shashin Devsare of Karbonn explains, “Karbonn is one brand which takes consumer satisfaction very seriously and aspires to offer the best pre-sales and post-sales services to the consumer. Karbonn today services the consumers via a wellspread out network of over 85,000 retail partners and 900+ service centers across the country, which is amongst the high-

Mr. Shirpal Gandhi CEO, Swipe Telecom

SPeCiAl Story

various programs and promotional offers to energize the channel, including the use of new media like LED screens for branding. Finally, retailer training is an important part of ensuring completeness in the consumer purchase experience. Karbonn understands that customer satisfaction is the most important factor for retaining customers, and when brands fail to satisfy customers, they lose them and lose sales. Thus Karbonn as-

Mr. rajesh Dusarlapudi

Country Manager, STK Devices - India “The trust comes from the quality of our phones at affordable prices. Trust comes from the services we render to the consumers, for example FREE Insurance.” pires to provide the best services to its customers to ensure their satisfaction and retain them in the family.” Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India added, “We are following complete offline strategy since traditional channels of sales occupy nearly 75% of the total business in these markets, offline retail chains and channel partners will play a signiﬁcant role in helping us deliver our products to consumers in these areas. For any new brand entering the market, the most crucial factor is to gain the trust of partners who touch the last mile (consumers). We have initiated lot of retailer and partner engagement program that makes it easy for him/her to understand the policies, margin structure, and most important the lineage of the company. We have touched close to 30000 reatilers through our special engagement projects across the phase 1 our operation. We currently have tie-ups with 500+ distributors and the number is constantly growing which shows the conﬁdence our partners have reposed in us. We aim to take the number of distributors to 1,000 and retailers to 80,000 by the end of this year in order to provide a larger consumer base ready access to its value-driven offerings.”

BrANDS ACTiveLY TAKe PArT iN GOvT ProJeCtS AnD SCHeMeS

Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies clariﬁes, “Since the new government has assumed power, PM has focused on India Development agenda through Make in India, Digital India and Skill India. I believe all these policies will have to work simultaneously as they are interconnected and together if executed properly will surely give impetus to not only manufacturing but also to the overall economic development of the country and thereby create millions of jobs across sectors. We welcome PM’s ‘Make in India initiative’ and consider it as a watershed step towards unveiling the real potential of over 1.2 billion people and unleashing the manufacturing process of India. The company is manufacturing about 2 million phones per month in India presently. Currently, we have 5 manufacturing facilities: in Jammu (1), Baddi in HP (1) and Noida (3). As an industry player, we feel the government should create, encourage and facilitate an environment that incubates a complete mobile ecosystem that includes building a domestic component manufacturing and designing platform. “We are designing market speciﬁc products to reach out to mass consumers, thus creating a new wave of digital revolution in the country. With our state-of-the-art production facilities and locally assembled devices, we have been able to provide mobile technology to the masses and are supporting the government to successfully implement the idea of digitally empowered India,” claims Vineet Mahajan of Videocon. Deepak Kabu of Ziox says, “Though we have not yet taken initiatives, we are actively considering taking part in future in the govt. projects and initiatives.”

Mobility SePteMber 2016

Shirpal Gandhi from Swipe feels, “In India, there are regions where large segments of population are still deprived of education and basic literacy. Swipe Technologies have thoroughly looked for such areas in order to fulﬁll their social responsibilities as a technology brand. Swipe Technologies is very keen towards its social commitment. We have associated with UNICEF in Rajasthan”

MAJor FUtUre oUtlooKS oF DiFFerent brAnDS

“From the consumers’ perspective, Tier 2 & 3 markets play a vital role for us. It’s very important for us to reach out to the audience in these markets. Our marketing strategies of hiring regional brand ambassadors have worked really well in these markets and we have received tremendous response from the consumers. In the face of increasing consumer demand in India and the company’s strong emphasis on innovation, the company has a suite of novel marketing plans in its roster and we aim to focus more actively on after-sales service for customers,” feels, Keshav Bansal of Intex Technologies. Syed Tajuddin from of Coolpad, states, “We have already started a pilot project with Amazon to retail products offline, by year end you will see many Coolpad products in the offline space as well.” According to Deepak Kabu of Ziox, “Our plan of action for the near future is to increase our visibility. Visibility is not just about setting up signages & placing advertisements, it will be about being present wherever our consumers are present.” In the words of Shashin Devsare of Kabonn, “Karbonn’s main target audience is in the Tier 2 & 3 cities, where there is a great demand for world-class budget devices. Our recent launches are focused towards developing a language ecosystem and we are also targeting the ambitious millennial generation from the Tier 3 and 4 cities who might not be proficient in English language but are as talented and aspirational as their metro counterparts.” Mr. Sudhir Kumar, CEO of itel Mobile India added, “Tier 3/4/5 cities are our key focus markets. We are doing heavy investment from retail visibility and awareness stand point in these markets. We have already ensured our communication presence across 30 k outlet in form of visual merchandising, retail fitouts and special first time launch program for retailer and distributor on boarding. Shirpal Gandhi from Swipe feels, said, “In semi-urban and rural areas, there is a huge potential user base that needs relevant and affordable content, connectivity and 4G devices. Today, there is a growing requirement for devices that can meet the burgeoning demand for data, so we have entered into a strategic partnership with Indus OS to meet the varied data needs of the regional language speaking citizens through innovation, simplification and localization. This year, we have an exciting line-up of 4G-enabled devices. The market is expected to grow rapidly and we believe that consumers will value our differentiated offerings.”

At lASt

Now it is imperative that if a smartphone brand wants stay in the market for long time and cut a share, they have to play in the below 10K segment and to be speciﬁc in the sub 10K segment. Over 80% handsets are sold in this segment. In this segment, price is just one thing where competition is intense and brands are going out of the way to woo the customers with top features and great schemes. For smart phones, T1 and T2 city segments have reached saturation levels and T3 and T4 are getting ripe for exploitation as people have just started to switch from feature phones to smart phones. Now these are areas where the game is played. Then everything being more or less the same, a brand that offers the top class service will be the winner. With festive season round the corner, we are going to see many attractive launches in the sub 10K segment.

gUeSt ColUMn

Evolution of the Television

Market in india

rom the wooden box with door to shut the screen to bulky colour sets, from flat to curved screen for theatre-like effect, from table-tops to wall mount, television set has been through an overhauling dynamic change like no other appliance. This is so as it was one of the early electronic gadgets to be invented and sold to consumers in large numbers since past mid-century. Five decades ago, owning a television was a matter of pride when children from the neighborhood would gather before your set to watch Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana or Mickey Mouse on Sunday mornings together. However, with changing times, television is more of a necessity than luxury.

witnessed swift transition in the last three to four years. Unlike its predecessors like the LCD or Plasma, which remained visible in the market for a short duration, LEDs have successfully adapted to the changing preferences of consumers and continue to offer more than expected. They are sleeker, provide better picture quality and consume less power than other models of televisions. In addition, cost effectiveness is another important reason for it growing popularity. For instance, the range for Intex LED TVs starts from Rs. 24000 for a 32-inch to Rs. 70000 for a 55-inch screen. Interestingly, South and West regions of the country contributed to combined sale of 64% of Intex LED TVs in FY 15-16, closely followed by North at 22% and East at 15%.

As industry data reveals, 14.5 million TV sets were sold in India in Further, with a plethora of options for 2015, of which 12 million comprised accessories, a consumer is tempted to LCDs and LEDs. Further, consumers upgrade his viewing experience. Home are preferring bigger screen size theaters and high-quality speaker systems LEDs, with 32 inch and 40 inch streaming with LED for a complete theatre being the favorites for better viewing effect makes it an irresistible deal. and picture quality. Going by the The latest innovation is IoT where trend, India is certainly one of the Ms Nidhi Markanday technology is exploring the future most lucrative market for many big possibilities. With IoT, an LED is Director & Business Head – players. While Korean companies like transformed into a Smart TV where Consumer Durables & IT, Intex Samsung and LG and Japanese firms a consumer can access and control Technologies like Sony and Panasonic have been compatible devices like cameras, present for long, giving them a tough lights, locks and thermostats on a home competition are domestic players like Intex and Vu, which automation platform. In short, a television will control are steadily creating a foothold in the television industry. other smart appliances. Many firms have introduced Foreign companies made way to the Indian market Smart TVs and working towards incorporating the IoT with their household electronic gadgets and then infrastructure at high-end performance. introduced mobile phones. On the contrary, Indian According to a latest report by Ken Research, there companies approached it the other way. Companies like is already a phenomenal increase in the sale of 32 inch Intex and Micromax, were established brands in mobile LED television in the market across categories. The LED handsets before they ventured into LED TVs. For instance, and OLED TV market in India is expected to grow at an Intex sold 182,000 LEDs in FY 14-15, a whopping jump of estimated CAGR of 40 percent by FY 2019. But as of now, over 400 percent since its previous year when 44,000 units OLEDs will have to wait to make big numbers due to their were sold. The growth sky rocketed in the last fiscal 2015high cost. In the meantime, LED is dominating the market 16 when 400,000 LED televisions were sold. and fast emerging as consumer’s favourite. With increasing disposable income of consumers The potential is immense and it is only the beginning. and rapidly advancing technology, LED televisions have Time we call the idiot box a smart choice.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

review

Powering Mobility

hree new power banks offerings from Lapcare for more secure and portable power backup for your smart devices. The three new models comes in 5200mAh, 10400mAh and 13000mAh of capacity. The LPB â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 52 is an ultra compact and offer you an option to quick charge and charge your device through USB connect. It is much more compact and comes in three different colors which is Blue , black and pink. It has a Lithium-ion battery and weighs just 110gms. The LPB-104 and LPB 130 are similarly built and all the features are identical. The main difference between these two

powerbanks is its battery capacity. The LPB 104 is having a 10400mAh Lithium-ion battery where as the LPB -130 is powerd with 13000mAh of mammoth battery . These two battery packs has a very simple, compact and practical design theory with Lapcare branding on the front and four LED indicators, that gives you status of battery life available. On the lefthand side it has a power button and two USB port that gives you flexibility to charge two devices simultaneously. On top of the power bank it has a torch light and a charging port. Both the power bank weighs 225gms and we can say is comparatively light weight and easy to carry around.

LPB-52 (5200mAh) Ideal for Mobile Phones

Technical Specifications Battery Type : Lithium-ion Input : 5V-1A (max) Output : 5V-1A (max) Power indicator : Red LED Dimension : 90*40*21mm Weight : 110gms Colour : Black Blue Pink

LPB-104 (10400mAh)

with Dual Output Feature Ideal for Mobile Phones Technical Specifications Battery Type : Lithium-ion Input : 5V-1A (max) Output : 5V-2.1A (max) Power indicator : Blue LED Dimension : 141*62*22mm Weight : 225gms Colour : White-Blue, White-Yellow White-Green, White-Pink

LPB-130 (13000mAh)

APPS

“QyKly APP”

Works Seamlessly With SMS inbox and Helps to Manage All Transaction Details” Mr. Amit vaish,

Founder, AarVee Idealab Technology

Q. How do you ensure the security and privacy of the information dealt via your app?

Q. Please brief us about Qykly app and how it works? How is it going to benefit the users?

A. Our app is highly secured and we have adhered to the highest security standards, such as 256 BIT Encryption, SSL etc, while designing the app. We continually aim to deliver innovative solutions to the users and this app will enable them to easily manage everything at their ﬁngertips. Qykly strives to provide highest level of privacy & extreme convenience to the end consumers.

n an interaction with Mobility magazine, Mr. Amit Vaish, Founder of AarVee Idealab Technology, the provider of the Qykly app, shares the unique features and uses of the Qykly app.

A. AarVee Idealabs has recently unleashed one of their most anticipated Android apps for the Smartphone. Qykly, a smart app, helps the users to read the transactional SMSs and it tracks the bills due date, bank account status, travel bookings, e-commerce purchases & much more with a complete security. ‘Qykly makes your SMS info more easy to use.’ It is the platform that would bring access to all the services users use, be it credit cards, e-commerce, travel, hotel bookings, shopping, banking, bills and more to just one screen for the consumer on the move. It is a Virtual Assistant

with interactive interface. Qykly works seamlessly with the SMS inbox to find and store the details of the transactions. This app saves time, money, and all around makes life easier for users. Q. There are many such apps in the market. in what way your app is different and better than others? A. Most of the apps in the market are trying to address the financial SMSs, but Qykly is the exclusive app in the market which auto-tracks and manage all the user’s transactional SMSs. We make user’s SMS inbox useful and actionable. Our Qykly app is the result of our determination to help them to manage their transaction needs more efficiently.

Mobility SePteMber 2016

Q. what is your revenue model and how you are going to make profit through this app? And who others (partners) too can financially benefit from your app and how? A. Right now we have not yet strictly deﬁned our revenue model. We’re excited to roll-out this enhanced mobile tool that provides more assistance and value to our customers. Qykly’s ever evolving technology ties it up with global giants

to pull relevant datasets based on the consumer needs, demographics and potential desires. Q. what challenges are you facing in the app market and how are you meeting these challenges? A. With the rapid increase in the number of smart phones, average mobile data consumption per smart phone in India is expected to increase. Aarvee Idealabs Technology, a selfdiscovery platform launched Qykly app to bring positive change in the lives of the users. The app plays a crucial role from the moment any transaction is made, simplifying user’s daily tasks, changing outlook towards information.

Date of Pub: 10th September, 2016 | Postal Dt.: 16th & 17th of same Month/ Posted at NDPSO

r.N.i. No. DeLeNG/2004/14198

Postal reg. No.: DL(S)-01/3442/2016-18