Mobility Monthly Magazine
July 2017
Issue 07
Volume 14
Pages 32
20
beyond technology, beyond lifestyle
www.mobilityindia.com
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Contents
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EDITORIAL 6 News 8 Launchpad 12 interview 14 COMIO
review 15 nubia N2 An efficient performer
featured 16 Sunil Raina, Sr. Vice President And Business Head, Xolo
GST - ANALYSIS
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MAKE IN INDIa
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East Sun Electronics India LLP
special story
Editor : Chief Editor : Associate Editor (Tech,) : Asst. Editor : Product Head : Creative Head : Acct. & Finance : Marketing Manager : Marketing Executives :
Swapan Roy Manoj Jha Jayanta Ghosh E.J. Jawahardatham Anit Kumar Gautam Middya Sandip Sarkar Tridip Dey Sujit Goswami, Pratap Biswas S. Dutt Raj Kumar
Circulation Manager : Production : System Manager :
P. Biswas Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul Ajay Biswas
H.O.: Delhi / Editorial Office Roy Mediative A-23, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 (INDIA) Mob: 09810380882, 09811346846, 09582951366 Ph: 91-11-41602841, 65683896, 40536384-87 Redg.Off.: 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Branch Office: Mumbai: E-mail: roy@mobilityindia.com Kolkata: 105/19, Dum Dum Road, Sil Colony, Kolkata-74 Contact: 09891666264, 09330922965; 09903392620 E-mail : roy@ mobilityindia.com
Smartphone Market in India
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
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Mobility Monthly News Paper, Printed, Published & Owned by Swapan Roy at 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India).
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‘A study of millennial parents of Generation Alpha Kids’
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Editor
: edit@mobilityindia.com
Info
Device of the month Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
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editorial
Smart Homes Market in India Set to Boom The Special Story, ‘Smart Homes market in India Growing Steadily,’ throws light on the rapidly evolving maket for Smart Home Solutions in India. Today, the installed base of smart home devices such as such as garrage door operators, electronic locks, thermostats, light bulbs, appliances, etc is estimated to be 165 million devices worldwide, and India is fast catching up with a growth rate of 30% YoY. At this rate market is set to double every 3 years. This exploding growth in the coming years is expected to attract many new players entering the market competing to provide smart home solutions with a plethora of new innovations, designs and features.
And the long-awaited GST is here in force from July 2017. The story on GST analysis covers the opinions of several industy leaders on GST.
Editor’s Choice
Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com
KODAK EKTRA Camera-First Smartphone KODAK EKTRA is a photography-led smartphone designed for those with a passion for photography, from enthusiasts to experts. The KODAK EKTRA Smartphone fuses the best of Kodak’s rich history in imaging with the latest innovations in smartphone photography. This Smartphone lets keen photographers capture exceptional images, whatever the environment, with an incredibly fast smartphone, tuned for the best in image quality and media management. At the heart of the KODAK EKTRA Smartphone is a 21-megapixel fast focus camera sensor with f2.0 aperture, and an industry leading 13-megapixel front-facing camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus PDAF and f2.2 aperture.
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News
Punjab’s Progressive Plan Receives Support from Three Chinese Majors
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh recently had a meeting with the delegation of three top-tier Chinese companies namely Dr Alex Li, President of LeEco APAC; Prasoon Sharma, MD of ZTEsoft India & South Asia and Susan Lin, Vice General Manager of Yinlong Energy International. The meeting was a dimension of Punjab government’s motto to revitalize its investment and development opportunities in the state concerning major plans including smart technologies for smart cities, venture funding, development in the areas of Information Technology, incubation and startup activities, ePragati among others. The sum and substance of the meeting included opportunities for LeEco’s smart handset business in Punjab besides improvement in technology for the younger generation. This will provide a favourable boost to the employment sector and will help in managing the business in the state. Captain Amarinder’s smartphone scheme too was covered as the Chinese energy major made a proposal to the Chief Minister to provide mobile handsets, under its brand name LeEco, a major push to Captain’s key pre-poll promise.
Micromax Introduces 100-day Replacement Warranty on Feature Phones
Accelerating its journey towards providing best in class customer service, Micromax Informatics, one of the leading mobile brands, today announced a 100-day replacement promise (on any hardware fault) for all its feature phones. Starting today, 100 D a y Replacement W a r ranty is being made available for Feature phones, where Micromax will replace failing feature phone with the same/equivalent model in the first 100 days from the date of activation of the device (which is a part of the 1 year total warranty period). Currently, this promise is valid across 10 feature phone models- X1i, x706, x424, x740, x730, x904, x570, x512, x412, x726*.
Videocon Telecom enters fast growing Indian Security and Surveillance market
Videocon Telecom announces its entry into fast growing Rs 6600 Cr Security and Surveillance market with its new brand of ‘Videocon WallCam’. The brand will bring in wide range of security and surveillance products with its prime focus on Video Surveillance products to cater Enterprise, Government, institutional and retail (residential and small commercial set-ups) segments. In addition to basic Video Surveillance products such as AHD (Analogue high definition), IP (Internet Protocol )& wireless cameras, DVRs & NVRs, Video-Door Phones, intrusion alarms etc; the brand will also offer customized security solutions to institutional, corporate and government sector including PTZ (Pan, Tilt & Zoom) and vandal proof cameras, mobile vehicle cameras, access control systems, scanners and detec-
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tors, number plate reader solution, central monitoring system, boom barriers, X-Ray baggage inspection system, cloud storage with secure remote access etc.
Transsion Holdings and Spice Mobility Ltd announce Joint Venture to Re-Launch the Spice brand in India
Transsion Holdings, a global conglomerate with a strong presence through itel and TECNO announced a joint venture (JV) agreement with Spice Mobility, an Indian Business major across mobility space, to strengthen its foothold in the world’s fastest growing mobile market. In line with Transsion’s multi-brand strategy, the company marks the entry of its new brand in India, reinforcing its commitment to the India market, with an enhanced portfolio. This partnership aims to revitalize the ‘Spice brand’ by cross leveraging both organisations’ strengths to offer a simple, yet, an all-new powerful and rich digital experience to the young generation of India, which is a reflection of their individuality and keeps the collectivistic sentiment intact. The new Spice brand portfolio will offer stylishly designed devices catering to the needs of the Indian youth. Spice Brand unveiled its new brand identity and philosophy – “Make Sharing Better” with Spice. In line with the new brand identity, Spice Brand will enable the users’ to create and nurture the social connections by sharing content that is enjoyable for them.
ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces ROG Masters 2017 India and APAC Qualifiers
ASUS Republic of Gam- ers (ROG) announced that the ROG Masters 2017 – India & South Asia qualifiers and the finals will be hosted at The Lalit, Bengaluru on August 19, 2017. Hosted for 2 games; Counter Strike: Global Offensive & Dota2, the tournament is divided into 4 continents – (APAC) Asia Pacific, Americas, China & EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). India, Bangladesh, and Sri-Lanka form the South-Asia group under APAC. The India qualifier is divided into two segments – Offline India Qualifier (Qualifier #1) & India Open Online(Qualifier #2). The offline qualifier will have a total of 16 cafes (List appended below) across 8 cities that will host the tournament from July 08 to July 25. Post this, there will be India Online Open (Qualifier #2) scheduled to commence from 27th July 2017. The South-Asia finale will be hosted in Bengaluru at The Lalit on August 19-20 with an attractive prize pool of INR 10,00,000. The total tournament prize money for both the games is INR 32,000,000.
Vivo bolsters its association with the Indian Premier League
Vivo, the premium global smartphone brand, today announced the retention as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League for the next five years. The new association will start from August, 2017 to July, 2022. In the coming seasons, Vivo and IPL will work hand in hand to elevate the success of the League. In 2016 and 2017 Vivo successfully achieved tremendous
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brand recall across the country by associating with the premium properties like the Indian Premier League. Various on ground activations like IPL Trophy Tours, Fan Parks and much more were very well received by cricket lovers. As per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, last year IPL enjoyed a viewership of 1.25 billion which saw a 22.5% hike from 2016.
Vodafone Partners HMD Global
Vodafone partners with HMD Global for their n e w l y launched Nokia Android smartphones. Vodafone invites all customers buying the recently launched range of smartphones – Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 to experience its Data strong network with its exciting offers. All Nokia smartphone users can avail the offer of additional 4G or 3G Data. Customers buying Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 smartphones will enjoy 5GB data (4GB additional data) on a purchase of 1GB Data for 3 months (or 3 recharges, whichever comes first) for just Rs. 142*. In addition, all customers buying Nokia 6 smartphones (available exclusively on Amazon) will enjoy 10 GB data (9GB additional data) on purchase of 1GB Data for 3 months, at just Rs. 251**.
Nikon India Announces Establishment of Instruments Business Technical Centre in Bengaluru
The new facility was inaugurated on 19th June, 2017 by Mr. Kazuo Ninomiya – Managing Director, Nikon India, Mr. Nakajima Masao – Sr.Vice President, Industrial Metrology Business Unit , Mr. Hiroshi Ohseki – Director, Instruments Division, Nikon Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mr. Akira Muramoto – Vice President, Instruments Business Unit. Nikon Instruments Business Unit has its first set up in Gurugram and this second facility is a significant step to ensure improved regional customer interface in India. The Technical Centre will provide solutions like information sharing, professional services etc. which the industry demands today. Nikon hopes that with this facility customers will have opportunity to understand the performance and benefits of systems and technology Nikon’s instrumentation business has to offer
ASSOCHAM Seeks Dropping Mandatory Telecom Equipment Testing
Opposing any more layer of regulation to the highly indebted telecom industry, battling several challenges, the ASSOCHAM has approached the Department of Telecommunication with a plea to drop the proposal of mandatory testing
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of telecom equipment which is used in India after certification from wellknown third party global bodies. In a letter to the Telecommunication Secretary and Chairperson of the Telecom Commission, Ms Aruna Sundarajan, the ASSOCHAM has said that the move to get the draft guidelines by the Telecom Engineering Centre for mandatory testing of the end to end equipment would add one more layer of regulation and go against the spirit of ‘ease of doing business’. It said, in any case, the telecom industry is “already heavily debt ridden” and any more regulatory compliance burden would create serious issues in the global supply chain cycle. “Declining revenues, mounting debt, hyper-competitive market place have posed tremendous pressure on network investments, expansions”.
Government of Telangana launches Hyderabad City Hy-Fi Project
Taking forward the promise of providing world-class IT facilities, Telangana State Government today launched the ‘Hyderabad City Wi-Fi Project’ also known as Hy-Fi, with over 1000 hot-spots across the state capital. Inaugurated by the Hon’ble Mayor of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Shri Bonthu Rammohan, the ambitious project will eventually cover 3000 hotspot locations within the city. The launch ceremony was attended by many senior state government officials and dignitaries including Shri Jayesh Ranjan (IAS), Principal Secretary, ITE&C Department, Govt. of Telangana and Shri. B. Janardhan Reddy (IAS), Commissioner, GHMC.
Internet Users in India to Double by 2021: Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI)
Digital transformation will continue to drive IP traffic in India with the projected increase in Internet users from 373 million in 2016 to 829 million or 59 percent of the Indian population in 2021. In addition, there will be 2.0 billion networked devices in 2021, up from 1.4 billion in 2016 and the overall IP traffic is expected to grow 4-fold from 2016 to 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 30% and reach 6.5 Exabytes of data per month in 2021, up from 1.7 Exabytes per month in 2016, according to today’s release of the Cisco Visual Networking Index™ (VNI) Complete Forecast. According to the report, M2M connections will represent 22 percent of the total 2 billion devices and connections and will account for five percent of IP traffic by 2021. Advancements in IoT applications such as smart meters, package tracking, digital health monitors and a host of other next-generation M2M services is driving this incremental growth—nearly 21 percent increase in the next five years.
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HTC launches flagship smartphone HTC U11
HTC unveiled its flagship smartphone, the HTC U11 priced at INR 51,990 /- (MOP) in India. HTC U11 is the world’s first smartphone with a revolutionary new squeeze technology HTC Edge Sense which gives users the ability to activate advanced touch and use a “short squeeze” as well as a “squeeze and hold” for enhanced functionality. It also has the highest rated smartphone camera in the world with an incredible DxOMark 90 score. The HTC U11 will be available on both online (Amazon.in) and offline channels in India from the last week of June ’17 in Amazing Silver and Brilliant Black colours.
Intex Unveils ELYT e7
Intex Technologies announced the launch of its new highspecs smartphone – Intex ELYT e7. Flaunting an elegant sleek look with a 2.5D curved glass, the 4G-Volte device is packed with powerful features – 3GB RAM, Fingerprint sensor, Android Nougat and big battery. All these high-tech features in one smartphone is exclusively available on amazon.in at a competitive price of Rs 7,999. The 4G-enabled Elyt e7 comes with 5.2-inch HD IPS display supported with a 2.5D curved glass display giving a smoother touch & swipe experience along with premium and elegant looks. Elyt e7 is powered with 3GB RAM, 1.25GHz & 64-bit Quad Core Mediatek processor, ensuring smooth performance while playing high-end games or watching videos and multitasking.
Ziox announces the launch of most affordable Nxt 4G Smartphone and Thunder Mini Feature Phone
Ziox, the Mobile division of Sun Airvoice Pvt. Ltd., one of the fastest growing brands in the mobiles categories, conducted its Sales network meet for its Eastern UP Partners at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The company dedicated the activity to meetings and exchanges of opinions with the Keyline distributors and inducting them on the several new offerings (launches) in pipeline and the aggressive product roadmap in the next Quarter.The brand announced its plan to launch top of the line 6-8 smartphones and 10-12 feature phones in the next Quarter with the latest features at the most prudent prices. Ziox currently has established a very strong foothold in Interior UP East Markets among key regions being Sahajanpur, Raibareily, Mirzapur etc. The brand now shall be focussing on Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi etc for its next roadmap. The brand aims to be the Top selling brand in Lucknow bringing the best at best prices.
Samsung Launches Galaxy J7 Max, Galaxy J7 Pro with Industry-first Social Camera
Samsung India launched Samsung Galaxy J7 Max and Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro, expanding its best-selling mid-range of Galaxy J smartphones. India’s most preferred smartphone series now comes with innovative features like the revolutionary Samsung Pay and all-new Social Camera. Samsung Galaxy J-series has been a flagbearer
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of Samsung’s commitment to Indian consumers. The J series’ ‘Make for India’ innovations like Ultra Data Saving, S bike mode, S Power Planning have added immense value to J smartphones. These innovations have addressed specific functional issues of consumers and have aided the emergence of J series as the favourite smartphone series of Indian consumers. Samsung is carrying forward this legacy by introducing revolutionary Samsung Pay and Social Camera on new devices Galaxy J7 Max and Galaxy J7 Pro.
Honor Partners With GoPro For Honor 8 Pro
Continuing in the vein of tying up with Global Brands to enrich their smartphone experience, Honor, Huawei’s smartphone e-brand for digital natives, announced that GoPro’s Quik mobile video editing app will be preloaded on their upcoming smartphone, Honor 8 Pro. GoPro enables the capture of unique, immersive and hands-free perspectives that are otherwise difficult to get with a smartphone or would put the phone and its user at risk. Users can easily transfer photos and videos from the GoPro camera to the Honor device’s photo gallery for inclusion in video edits made with the Quik app.
Canon announced EOS C200 digital cinema camera
The EOS C200 features the newly-developed Dual DIGIC DV 6 image processing platform that makes possible the recording of 4K video to CFast cards using the new Cinema RAW Light video format, which retains the same amount of information and degree of freedom when colour grading a Cinema RAW while achieving between one-third and one-fifth the file size, in addition to 4K MP4-format video recording to SD cards. Both of these 4K video formats are recorded on camera, thereby enabling more efficient 4K video content creation. The EOS C200 delivers a maximum 15-stop equivalent wide dynamic range for 4K HDR video recording in Cinema RAW Light format, and a maximum 13-stop equivalent in MP4 format that employs Canon’s proprietary Log gammas—Canon Log 3 and Canon Log. Through the use of Canon’s professional 4K displays, users can confirm ITU-R BT.2100 (PQ) – compliant HDR video on location while shooting.
Motorola announced a new addition in the Z family
Motorola announced a new addition in the Z family with Moto Z2 Play, which can instantly transform into exactly what you need, when you need it, when paired with Moto Mods. With a thinner, lighter design and faster performance, the second generation Moto Z Play delivers on the features you care about, while still offering
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transformative experiences with Moto Mods. The Moto Z family of smartphones with Moto Mods has allowed people to do things they never thought were possible with a phone. From projecting a 70” screen wherever you are to turning your phone into a camera with 10x optical zoom, the Moto Mods platform offers unprecedented mobile innovation. With the next generation of products, you can experience new ways to transform your smartphone.
iMCO Watch, World’s 1st Amazon Alexa-enabled smartwatch
World’s first smartwatch integrated with Amazon Alexa is here to wow gadget aficionados. iMCO Watch, formerly known as CoWatch is an intelligent, voice activated personal assistant that leverage cuttingedge technology for outstanding performance. Designed for a smarter way of life, the watch is a powerful arsenal of apps and features that include Alarm, Alternate Timezone, Calendar, Music Bluetooth Control, Notifications, Step Counter, Heart Rate Monitor, Stopwatch, Timer, Weather, Speed Dial, and If-This-Then-That (IFTTT) Integration. With the Amazon Alexa Voice Services powered by Amazon Echo, Echo Dot speakers and IFTTT on-board, users can personalize and configure watch IF App Containers to perform virtually any action. You can ask iMCO Watch to hear the news, get the weather, check the traffic, order a pizza, control smart home, check calendar, track Amazon orders, make a phone call, and more using voice commands.
Zebronics launches ‘JUKE BAR
The Juke Bar 3 includes a sound bar and subwoofer for high definition audio that complements your high definition Video. The sound bar comes with built in 45watts RMS amplifier to deliver all of your entertainment. While the Subwoofer incorporates amplifiers and 13.3cms driver. There are 4 drivers packed into a single sound bar unit for mid and high frequencies. With 45watts RMS of power stay tuned to your TV with deep bass and action. Its wide spatial sound feature brings the powerful cinema sound effect with the built-in bass enhancer for rich deep tones, bringing powerful cinematic sound effect.
Xiaomi announced a range of accessories in India
Xiaomi announced the launch of a range of accessories in India, including Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2, Mi Bluetooth Speaker Mini, 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2, and 20000 mAh Mi Power Bank 2. Despite being small in size, Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 delivers fast, stable connections for up to 16 devices, and has two built-in high performance PCB antennas to expand router signal range and boost download speeds. It can also help you auto-select optimal Wi-Fi channels (support for 13 LAN Channels) for faster download speeds. Mi Bluetooth Speaker Mini features Bluetooth 4.0 technology for a stable, energyefficient connection and is elegantly designed with both the power button and the micro USB charging port neatly tucked at the bottom.10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 features two-way fast charging, and high-density batteries in a thin anodized aluminum casing, with a 180° ergonomic arc design.
Lava Announces its Foray into the Notebook Segment
Lava International Limited announced its entry into the Notebook segment with the launch of Helium 14. The Notebook, Helium 14, for which the company has collaborated with Microsoft and Intel, is delightfully light and is designed to offer productive, simplified and user-friendly experience. Created to meet the needs of small business owners and Gen-Y, Lava Helium 14 has been launched online exclusively on Flipkart and will soon be available at select retail stores and other multibrand outlets across Delhi NCR, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Bangalore from the first week of July in its first phase of launch. It is priced at INR 14,999/-.
InFocus introduces high power Turbo 5 for Indian consumers
InFocus unveiled the InFocus Turbo5 smartphone under the new brand licensing agreement signed with Foxconn. This product is the first from a series of innovative product line up especially developed for the Indian market, keeping in context the Indian consumers’ needs, under this new strategic partnership between InFocus and Foxconn. The Turbo 5 focusing on reliability and performance packs in a high capacity battery life smartphone of 5000 mAh that allows you to charge less and do more. With an incredible 34 days of standby time and doubling as a power bank, the Turbo 5 ensures endless entertainment. Turbo 5 will be available in two variants, i.e 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage and 3GB RAM/32GB storage. Priced at INR 6,999/- and INR 7,999/-, respectively.
TCL Launches MOVETIME Smartwatch
TCL Communication has announced the MOVETIME as the latest addition to Indian TCL portfolio. With built-in gesture control of a paired smart phone, plus the ability to keep track of calls and messages, and monitor your fitness, the MOVETIME helps you enjoy life more. With MOVETIME, you are never out of touch, receiving direct notification of incoming SMS messages, emails and voice calls, right on your wrist. This keeps you connected through any action.
OnePlus 5 – Dual Camera launched in India
OnePlus introduced the OnePlus 5, the latest in its lineup of premium flagship smartphones. With this new device, OnePlus is further demonstrating its mission to share the best technology with the world. The OnePlus 5 features the highest resolution dual-camera system on a smartphone today for clearer photos than ever before. Dash Charge, OnePlus’ industry-leading charging technology, gives users a day’s power in half an hour. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform, coupled with up to 8 GB of RAM, provides a smooth user experience at a lower power consumption rate. The OnePlus 5 also supports 34 GSM network bands, giving users seamless connectivity around the world.
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INTERVIEW
COMIO is all set to launch their first range of handsets in India Mr. Sanjay Kalirona CEO and Director for the Indian market Do you feel that India’s local brands are now getting exhausted and unable to stay competitive? India being the second largest market for smartphones, Indian mobile phone makers’ have been adversely impacted due to the rapidly increasing market share of Chinese players and fierce competition. The increasing strength of Chinese mobile phone manufacturers in smartphone market is reflected in the 3.4 times growth in market share to 51% in What excites you to join the Chinese ODM Topwise? Q1CY17. Topwise Communications is one of The recent success of Chinese the top 3 PCBA manufacturers in China. players can be attributed to their They specialize in manufacturing a better technological capabilities wide range of smartphones, PC tablets leading to superior product offerings. and POS machines. They have been Furthermore, large investments by ODM (Original Device Makers) for Chinese players towards brand many brands worldwide including top building and manufacturing Indian smartphone brands. facilities in India depict their Topwise Communication is all set to enter the Indian Basis my initial meetings long term strategic intent. handset market with the launch of its COMIO handset with the top management, I brand. Founded in June 2005, TopWise Communication As you have a very strong understood their intentions of is one of the biggest ODMs in China, and is among top hold on the distribution building the brand in India and three printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers in the for same they also have a good country. The ODM used to make products for many Indian network, what will be your strategy for Comio? investment with a long term handset makers, including leading brand Micromax. Our channel strategy vision for the Indian market. According to a sources the company is eying the will be a vital part of our What will be the road map for mid-range handset market, and is all set to launch its brand Comio in India’s mobile first product range of about 2-3 handsets around August, growth plans. With a strong network of partners our focus handset market? If you can which will be around 6-12k price bracket. is in reaching the consumers Topwise Communication have recently appointed mention some strong points of across the country. We plan to Sanjay Kalirona as CEO and director for the Indian Comio? have 15,000+ retail partners market. Sanjay Kalirona who previously served Intex COMIO is a smartphone and 400+ distributors in our Technologies Akai’s mobile phone and Zen Mobile. subsidiary of Topwise initial phase. We will also We recently caught up with Mr. Sanjay to know more Communications and was be running a program of launched in China in the year about his vision for Comio and its roadmap for India. Distributors meet & training, 2015. The company has already that will perfects them in started their operations in India from May 2017 and is ready to learning about the science that goes behind creating these launch their first set of handsets in August 2017. The company products. Providing experience with the expertise of in-shop is headquartered in New Delhi and will cater to the highest demonstrators, detailing the product specifications are all a growing group (mid-level segment) priced from $100-$200. part of selling products and via these partners, at COMIO we ‘’COMIO”stands for “.COM’’ from the internet and ‘’I’’ & ‘’O’’ will make sure that we give them special schemes to motivate stands for I and You which means connecting people digitally. and sustain their performance. We are known to create remarkable hardware & software and In next one year where you want to place Comio in this are ready to do the same for our Indian consumers / target competitive segment? audience. Our aim is to position COMIO as a strong emerging brand Strong points: in the smartphone segment. We are primarily going to focus • Holds 7 years of experience in supplying smartphones to in general trade/offline market and aim to gain consumers’ Indian market trust and belief. COMIO will be highly focused at ensuring • 10 years of experience in mobile handset manufacturing that its consumers get the best products and are supported which include R&D, Design, Software Development, by its elaborate, well equipped and efficient team of service personnel. Manufacturing and Branding/Sales
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REVIEW
nubia N2 An efficient performer N
ubia recently announced the launch of N2 smartphone in India. This device is loaded with proprietary Neo Power technology, and 5000 mAh battery which is very much equipped to give long battery life on single charge. Nubia N2 carries forward Nubia’s legacy of merging aesthetics with technology. It is a super sleek device with 7.9 mm thickness. It has sharper front camera (16MP) as compared to N1 and a memory combination (4GB + 64GB) which is suitable for current generation of users. If we talk about the key features of N2, the beautiful crafted device features a superlative camera and a mammoth 5000 mAh with Nubia’ proprietary NeoPower technology that offers exceptional optimization results. Nubia N2 comes with 4GB RAM paired with 64GB ROM which allows simultaneous storage for 5000 16MP photos + 1000 HQ music + 5h HD video and it supports 128GB Micro SD. . The N2 carries MTK Octa-Core 64-Bit A53 architecture processor. ”. It makes the device respond seamlessly to graphic intensive 3D games and based on the type and level of task, the processor can intelligently deploy CPU and GPU, to reduce unnecessary core work, reducing power consumption and heating. The system optimization and Nubia N2’s low power, high performance hardware configuration ensures full usage of this smartphones massive battery. It means 12 hours of web browsing, 60 hours of voice call, 41.5 hours of music, 11 hours of video streaming or 8.4 hours of gaming, all uninterrupted with ONE CHARGE N2’s 13MP rear camera uses PDAF with 0.2 seconds quick snapshot, ensuring you never miss another shot. The 3D noise reduction and low-light image enhancement combined with hand-held image stabilization produces DSLR quality digital imaging, a feature that’s now become synonymous with Nubia devices. N2 differentiates itself from other devices with LTM regional color control, accurate color rendition and smart fill light which creates sharper images. The 16MP front camera helps you capture every detail of your beauty. The Nubia N2 is available in India through Amazon.
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FEATURED
At s im tter A o e l B o e c X g “ n n e i g i r r n i e e f d Of r-Exp Loa f Use ead O With s” Inst dsets t Spec olo Han undan d, X a e H d ess e n i s R Bu ina And a il R sident n u e S r Mr. Vice P . r S
Xolo the e-brand of Lava Imternational has completed 5 years of successful operations in India recently. Mobility India caught up with Mr. Raina for a quick interview and here’s what he had to say about Xolo and road ahead in India.
“E
arlier we were selling offline, but now we are exclusively on online. After studying the mindset of the online buyers and their preferences in the last 1 to 2 years, we took a conscious decision to shift to online. Our approach to these trends is, instead of quickly drifting along with the trends in a hurry, it is always better to take a step backwards, study the trends and decide on the right move before marching forward. When we focus too much on the short term perspective, it will overshadow the long term outlook. Offline and online have different dynamics. Most people think low price and high specs sell well online, but it is not that simple. Awareness of the customers who purchase online is quite high. Today, people are giving more weight to user-experience rather than simply to the load of specs. The customers’ expectations are shifting more from hardware side to the software & performance side. How well the hardware and software run on the handset and how better an experience they offer is what matters. Apple scores better on this front and that is the secret behind their success. For example, now there is a craze for dual-cam phones, and in 6 months every vendor will come up with dual-cam phones. The difference will be just where each of the two cams will be positioned---here the difference is about the layout, not technology. All devices that XOLO has been bringing into the market in the recent past, come with a great package of experience and that is our differentiator.” Since its inception in 2012, XOLO has been at the forefront of creating a superior smartphone experience and has partnered with industry leaders including Intel, NVIDIA, Broadcom, Mediatek, AMD, Microsoft and Qualcomm, amongst others, to bring differential technology experiences for those seeking more from the device. Mr. Raina comments, “There is always a tradeoff between the specs and the experience the handset can offer.
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If we offer more specs, on the other hand, experience may suffer. Instead of offering more specs, we focus on giving added experience at the same cost. It is better to offer better experience on each spec than just adding specs just for the sake of adding. From now on, our policy is to keep just four devices on the sale at any given point of time. In the recent past, we did not market ourselves that much as we focused more on building better experience on to the devices, but we will be focusing more on the promotion side soon. Right now, we have three device models for sale and before Diwali, by September, we will have 3 more devices for grabs online. In whichever price-segment our devices are present, we are among the top in terms of numbers.” In the last 5 years, XOLO has progressed to become a ‘game changer’ in the domestic smartphone market. XOLO’s strength while giving the best of smartphone experience is driven by a seamless fusion of software and hardware. The brand’s R&D teams, based out of India and China, are relentlessly working to offer a deep and highly customizable software experience for the users. HIVE, XOLO’s proprietary software platform, adds new dimensions to smartphone personalization. For XOLO, what the customers experience matters the most! Mr. Raina reveals, “On the service front, we have combined service centers with LAVA and it is well-known that we have one of the largest and most efficient service network and it is only getting better day after day. Many brands enter with a bang and vanish with a bang. In the last 5 years, we have proved that we are here to stay—may be there were some ups and downs, but overall we remained in the fray and will remain. We are happy with the way we are progressing, and we are confident that we will carve out a niche in the mobility market.”
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The launch of GST is perhaps India’s most significant and complex economic reform that is set to impact market dynamics in big way COAI, the apex industry association representing all the major telecom service providers and allied internet and technology companies in the country, congratulates the government and welcomes the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST). Addressing the nation at midnight, Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, described the GST as “Good and Simple Tax” which would ultimately benefit the people and pointed out that GST will replace more than a dozen central and state taxes or Value Added Tax (VAT) to create a seamless unified market for the $2 trillion Indian economy. The telecom industry whole heartedly welcomes the GST rollout. Calling it an important step for a new India, Mr. Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, COAI, said “This is a momentous occasion for us and the entire nation must celebrate theGST rollout. GST is the biggest reform since Independence, far outweighing even the liberalisation of the 90s in its scope and scale. We laud the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and its successful rollout by the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley. The introduction of a single tax across the country will make transactions across the country much easier and significantly reduce complexities in taxation. The Indian telecom Industry remains committed towards working with the government shoulder to shoulder and has been preparing for the transition in all earnest over the course of the last year.
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The tremendous amount of work that the Government and the industry has put in for the July 1 roll-out of GST deserves appreciation.”Telecom, is all pervasive and as essential service which is today the backbone of the nodal government mission mode programs like Digital India, Make in India, Skill India etc. All the policy changes of this size are bound to face teething problems initially. As long as the government and Industry work together, for the greater good, we are certain that all issues will get resolved. We are also confident that we will get all the required support from the government, DoT and the Finance Ministry for this and both the industry and the government will continue to work in the best interests of the consumers and the nation keeping offerings competitive and innovative. Mr. Mathews further added, “This sector has always been the crown jewel, with the achievement of over a billion connections and one of the highest contributions to the GDP. Today it is saddled with an unprecedented debt of more than INR 4.5 lakh crore, with revenues of less than INR 2 lakh crore,
GST - ANALYSIS a return on capital employed averaging around 1%, we are therefore hopeful that the government will consider our plea and revise the current rate of 18% which is fairly high to the requested rate of 5% which is better aligned with telecom being an essential service and critical infrastructure.” Once the regime settles in, we can look forward to it spurring the economy by incentivizing manufacturing and making business decisions independent of taxes. The industry will continue to work with the government, furthering the hon. Prime Minister’s vision for a fully connected and Digitally empowered India. Mr. Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India “The impact of GST on smart phone industry will directly or indirectly impact Government of India’s Make in India push as well as digital India mission. We have witnessed significant increase in units that manufacture and assemble mobile handsets due to various financial advantages given to local manufacturers.” “With no duty differential, manufacturing in India will always be better as lots of taxes will go away under GST. For primarily local manufacturers like us, it will be benefiting in the long run and lots of other smart phone brands will be focusing on the Make in India plans.” “Coolpad has been manufacturing in India for more than 10 months and around 90 % of our devices are made in India. We are totally prepared to align ourselves as per GST tax systems. Yet we feel that a better Phased manufacturing programme should be rolled out by the government, to better the benefits of local manufacturing of handsets in India, as it will boost Make in India mission.” “As of now as a handset manufacturer, we are partially relieved as the tax levied on handsets is 12%, still 5 % tax category could have been more appropriate. We are expecting some special incentives for handset manufacturers who are focusing on Make in India and are looking forward to increase their local manufacturing capability.” “For online retail industry, GST will be a bag of mixed emotions as it will be beneficial for suppliers while not so beneficial for e-commerce market places. The small and medium retailers who are using the marketplace will be the most affected.” While GST will balance the terms between offline and online market taxation and will be a good move, in the long run. When it comes effect of GST on e-commerce players, we stand committed with Amazon India, our exclusive sales and distribution partner.” Mr. Sumeer Chandra, MD, HP Inc. India “We believe Goods and Services Tax (GST) will act as a catalyst to speed up the digitization drive across the nation as small and medium businesses look to transition to a transparent tax system. With GST, PC adoption is expected to accelerate as they will play a pivotal role in enabling compliance and adoption of the new regime. As a
longstanding partner in India’s digital transformation, HP continues to support the government and all stakeholders in enabling this reform and we are also offering an integrated GST solution that allows traders and MSMEs to make a smooth transition.” Mr. Rahul Garg, Founder & CEO - Moglix, “As we head towards the revolutionary tax regime - Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll-out, it is indeed one the historical moment for the people of India. While a few of us have already put the processes and systems in place, many sectors are still trying to understand how technology and right partnership can help them with compliance. We at Moglix have developed Green GST - an affordable SAAS based technology tool to empower the USD 300 Billion manufacturing segment in India with almost zero pricing as a part of our commitment to making manufacturing supply chain GST ready. I congratulate the Government on translating its vision of One Nation, One Tax into reality. While some disruption is expected initially but I am certain that each one of us will contribute to make GST a success.” Mr. Anurag Garg, Vice President, Solar and Energy Storage Busines, Schneider Electric India “The government’s decision to levy 5% GST on solar panels as against the earlier classification of 18% comes as a major reprieve to the industry. The fact that it is still higher than the present effective tax rate of zero will, no doubt, impact project costs marginally. Also, under the new tax regime, solar has been placed at par with coal which seems to indicate that the country is moving towards grid parity in true sense. This augurs well for the long term energy security of the country. This, quite rightly, addresses the unique energy dilemma that India faces considering that close to 18,000 villages do not have access to energy, but, at the same time, the country has a strong commitment to reduce its carbon footprints.” Mr. Prashant Modi, Managing Director and CEO- Great Eastern energy Corporation Limited “We congratulate the government for implementing the biggest tax reform. GST is one of the most-awaited reform measures done for industry. We hope the government brings natural gas under GST @ 5% at the earliest in order to enhance domestic exploration & production of natural gas. This would increase energy security and help in reducing our dependency on imports. Further, the launch of
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OALP and NDR by the Government is a bold and landmark event for the Indian E&P sector. The keenly awaited policy will boost investor confidence and attract further investments which will help in achieving the Government’s objective to reduce hydrocarbon imports by 10%.” Mr. Nageswari S, Senior Vice President – Finance, Tata Communications “The goods and services tax (GST) is seen as one of the biggest tax reforms in India in a bid to unify 29 states, 1.3 billion people and create a common market zone. The nationwide single tax - GST is set to replace a mix of state level and national taxes. We at Tata Communications have been one of the early adapters to have embarked on the GST implementation journey well in advance of the go-live date. A cross-functional task force that included teams from billing, sales support, customer delivery, supply chain, business operations, IT & process experts along with tax champions, was formed to evaluate the impact on revenue and costs and to adapt our processes and IT systems in accordance with the changes required to seamlessly implement GST. Tata Communications’ global operations providing complete communication solution to global customers required substantive changes in its processes and IT systems to adapt to the new GST system. Our aim was to create robust IT systems to ensure seamless reporting and compliance under the new GST scheme. To ensure IT readiness we undertook a balanced approach and looked at both in-house development and outsourcing; effecting parallel changes aligned to the “ONE GST” change template. With only a few hours left for the roll out of GST, we, at Tata Communications, are wellequipped to deal with the change. We believe that the government is moving in the right direction in implementing a unified, indirect tax regime which will help in ushering transparency and seamless execution capabilities through digitalisaton.” Mr. Ritukar Vijay, (Head of Autonomous Technologies & Business Strategy) at The Hi-tech Robotic Systemz Ltd. ‘’The technology sector has been witnessing off late a major push by the Indian Government. There is a need to further strengthen the sector and explore the world of opportunities which lies with automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Road security is also a prime concern for the India as most road fatalities in the world take place in our country. With GST coming in, a major push is expected in long haul movement, which further strengthens need of taking proactive measures in preventing road accidents. AI can help a great deal in curtailing the problem with the use of adequate Autonomous & Driver Assistive technology & with support from govt. AI products can pave way for safer roads. In addition, govt can also accelerate growth of self-driving ecosystem in India by making provisions for on road testing of autonomous technology . We are hoping for a much more precise and futuristic approach by
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the Government for the AI/Self Driving Autonomous Vehicles sector’’. If you need anything else then kindly do let me know. Mr. Pulkit Punj, Director of AnG India Ltd. With the GST being implemented, the entire tax structure will be consolidated and all indirect taxes shall fall under the GST tab. However, there are still reservations regarding it throughout the industry. Today, most IT service providers have a multilocational presence with the preferred mode of service tax compliance being on a centralized basis from a single location. As opposed to paying service tax to a single jurisdictional service tax authority, the service provider may well be required to pay GST (State GST, Central GST, IGST, as the case may be) to GST authorities across multiple States. What is presently not clear is whether the rules will provide for the service provider to pay an IGST on such supplies from his location or in effect
require for the service provider to obtain a GST registration in each relevant State (especially in the case of services that are taxed based on the location of their performance). Either way, the service provider would need to map the relevant place of supply for each of his supplies and report compliance basis the same. An important related aspect in this regard is for the service provider to ensure that GST credits pertaining to the supplies are captured and availed in the location from where output GST is paid. Another aspect to this is the mandatory shift that is required by the government, enabling some IT companies to build up software’s and patch works that help organizations in applying the GST regime in their business. - Mr. Pulkit Punj, Director of AnG India Ltd. Mr. Gopal Balachandran, Chief Financial Officer, ICICI Lombard said, “The implementation of Goods & Services Tax is a significant milestone for the country. Though, insurance customers will have to pay a higher rate of GST rate @18% compared to 15% service tax earlier, the overall impact should be positive, given the convenience and simplicity associated with a single tax regime.”
MAKE IN INDIA
East Sun Electronics India Gearing Up To Be A Leading Electronics Company In India Mr. Prashant Bora CEO, East Sun Electronics India LLP
East Sun Electronics India having its Manufacturing Unit in Pune is a joint venture between Shenzhen East Sun Electronics Co. Ltd (China) & The Bora Group (India). East Sun was established in May 2016 to manufacture mobile phone charger. Company has World-Class infrastructure and state of the art testing facility that provides quality product to its customers. At present our company is selling 7- 8 lakh chargers per month. We have more than 200 staff including Technical Personnel, Management staff and R&D team. The company has a production capacity of 30 million chargers per annum, occupying an area of about 55000 sq feet. We have production machineries like Lead free Automatic wave soldering machine, Ultrasonic welding machine, Laser engraving machine, PCBA transfer machine & Quality testing machines such as Aging test machine, Electron loader, Hi-Pot tester, Oscilloscope, Resistor lead bend machine with advanced technology. We are backed by our innovative research and development team in China for all designs & development. In India, we are supplying our products to most of the leading mobile phone manufacturers. We are also in talks with some renowned conglomerates that are expected to join above list soon. Shenzhen Group Shenzhen East Sun Electronics Co. Ltd is a professional engaged in mobile phone charger, Tablet charger, Car charger, computer power supply, design, R&D, production mainly for the mobile phone manufacturers supporting sales and service in one of the enterprises. In China the company’s selling around Six Crore chargers per annum. Due to independent research and development capabilities, quality and stable delivery on time our products are sold to Europe, United States, India and other countries. The company has more than 500 employees that includes technical staff and management staff of more than 70 people. The total plant area is 10,000 square meters. The company has a total output value of over 100 million yuan for the state A-class taxpayers, the company has more than 10 million yuan in fixed assets. It was founded in year 2000 and now the company ranks amongst top 5 manufacturers of mobile phone chargers in China.The company already has most of the renowned mobile phone manufacturers on its customer list.
The Bora Group The Bora Group is a professionally run, family-managed enterprise established in 1965. It is engaged in Food, Technology, Finance & Realty sectors with about 600 employees and have an annual turnover of more than INR 1000 Cr of which over INR 500 Cr is from the technology sector activities. Right now Bora Group operates various business divisions in the tech-sector like E-commerce, Trading, Distribution and Manufacturing facilities etc. With this partnership we want to build an agile, energetic & passionate organization in which innovation, performance & productivity are the norm to make East Sun a leading electronics company in India. Our Mission 1. To develop world-class products providing highest value for money. 2. To benefit society at large through innovation, quality, productivity, human development & growth: always striving for excellence. Our Vision To build an agile, energetic and passionate organization in which innovation, performance & productivity are the norm to make East Sun a leading electronics company in India. Our Quality Policy We at East Sun are committed for delivering quality products that meet & exceed the needs & expectations of customers. Our effort shall be directed to maximize customer satisfaction through, 1. Understanding customer requirement. 2. Providing value for money. 3. Prompt & Effective Services. 4. On-time delivery.
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Smart Home Market in India growing steadily
The smart home is in a constant state of change. Home automation is no longer the stuff of science fiction. In the recent survey on smart home market size trends and projections suggest this is no passing fad. Ubiquitous home automation via IoT and M2M is our future. A few years ago, there was a global installed base of only 4 million smart home devices such as garage door operators, electronic locks, thermostats, light bulbs and appliances. Today, the installed base of smart home devices is estimated to be around 165 million devices worldwide. The Smart Homes market is fast evolving in the Indian context. Initially Smart Homes were marketed primarily as homes with advanced security features. It is estimated that the Smart Homes solutions market in India is growing at a rate of 30 percent YOY. At
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this rate, the market will double in revenue every 3 years. The market is, therefore, likely to explode over the next few years. But despite this rapid increase in devices, the smart home market remains fragmented and there are many questions that still need to be answered. We talked to leading vendors and solution providers in India to know how this market is behaving and what the road ahead in India. A smart home, or smart house, is a home that incorporates advanced automation systems to provide the inhabitants with sophisticated monitoring and control over the building’s functions. For example a smart home may control lighting, temperature, multi-media, security, window and door operations, as well as many other functions.
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“Philips Lighting believes that intelligent connectivity is the future of smart homes. As the global leader in connected lighting, we are helping customers design and create connected homes with intelligent, on-demand lighting that can be remotely controlled. We believe that lighting plays a critical role in the development of smart homes considering the ubiquity of lighting and its significant impact on our mood, wellbeing and lifestyle. Our recent innovation in this sector includes ‘Philips Hue White Ambiance’, a connected LED home lighting solution that enables users to select the right light level and color temperature of white for each of their daily tasks and routines, thereby helping to promote health and wellbeing. Hue White Ambiance is an extension to our Hue range, the world’s most versatile home lighting system that offers endless possibilities to consumers to get creative and personalize lighting to suit their Mr. Harshavardhan Chitale modern family lifestyle. An IoT product in its true sense, Hue enables users to create and control the Vice Chairman and Managing brightness and colour of lighting through an app Director, Philips Lighting India. on their smartphone or tablet”.
How the smart home market is evolving in India? According to Mr. Thanik B of Schneider Electric, the concept of Smart Homes, just like Smart Cities, is steadily gaining ground in India. In fact, it is only in the last few years that the idea of digital homes has picked up among urban homes. Thanks to leaps in technology and price affordability, automation in homes is a reality now and is also economically more acceptable. Initially, Smart Homes were being marketed primarily as houses with high-end security features. But, the market is now evolving into newer areas like lighting systems, gas leakage detectors, smoke alarm systems, entertainment systems and energy efficiency systems. Therefore, Smart Homes, apart from providing better security, conveniences and comfort to the resident, also provide significant energy savings.
ages - this trend will continue to get technically upgraded and demand will drive affordability, making ‘smart’ features imperatives of urban homes. The rise of smart and connected things allow companies to compete not only on functionality and performance aspects of their products and services, but also on the information created by the use of them. Sensor technologies make things ‘smart’, being a part of IoT devices. Smart home technology products aim to incorporate comfort, entertainment, mobility and security, making solutions more convenient for them. The array of products include controlled lighting, heating and other electronic appliances and household goods such as the AC. All of them can be remotely controlled from your own device (smartphone or tablet).
Mr. Kuldeep Malik, Country Head - Corporate Sales International, MediaTek India, believes that with rapid urbanisation, and the government’s drive towards smart cities, it is apparent that there will be huge technical upgrades required for infrastructure. We are already noticing that this shift is coming along with a growing demand to adopt smart-home technology among the urbanites. Smart home technology products aim to incorporate comfort, entertainment, mobility and security, providing consumers with connected solutions all the time. The rise of the DINKs (Double Income No Kids), DISKs (Double Income Single Kid), changing lifestyles and high income are expected to make smart technology a standard ‘home’ feature as families want to ensure they are always connected to their homes. Another aspect driving the smart-home trends is the growth in broadband penetration, which has been totally overshadowed by wireless broadband growth in India.
“We are in the very early stage of smart home market creation in India. Creation of new markets is fundamentally a slow process. However, strong indications suggest that this is going to be a hockey stick market. We are at similar stage where we were 15 years ago in mobile phone market. In 2002, mobile phone was considered a luxury purchase with limited market penetration. By 2012, rapid and transformative evolution of mobile phone made it one of the most lucrative markets. Smart home market is expected to see similar growth in next 10 years. Amazon, Google, Apple and numerous other companies like ours all are trying to find the iPhone equivalent product of this market which will provide it sudden impetus. One thing to notice is that home lifestyle of Indian homes is substantially different from US homes. Hence I feel, the iPhone for this smart-home market in India will not come from a US company but will emerge from an Indian company” said Mr. Shishir Gupta, CEO, Oakter.
In a few years, we are expecting a huge shift in the wired broadband as fiber is going to take over from the traditional copper-based network, and service providers will bring in a complete package that will include contents and deliveries with attractive offers. Some of the recently launched residential projects have already starting offering smart home pack-
Mr. Manikant Jain, CEO of Yerha.com, shares, “the concept of smart homes brings those vivid memories of science fiction movies alive when we envisioned ourselves in automated living environments. Home automation has been a lifelong dream of researchers, which has become today’s reality. It is technology that allows for maximum comfort and con-
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“The smartphone boom in India has fuelled internet penetration in the country, which has led to an evolution in the Smart Home concept. Affordability and easy availability of smartphones and internet services will further brighten up the future of the connected homes concept. We have a range of ecosystem products in China and we are very keen on bringing more of our ecosystem products to India. In 2016 we introduced our first ecosystem product, Mi Air Purifier 2, and recently launched Mi Router 3C and Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2. However, the major concern in India regarding these kinds of devices still remains bandwidth and connectivity issues. Therefore, improved connectivity and better bandwidth can greatly help pave the way to a whole new range of opportunities for players to expand the smart home concept in India.” Mr. Jai Mani Product Lead, Xiaomi India.
venience by seamlessly connecting home devices. The rate of evolution of this market is rapid in India. The main magnetism behind this is the efficiency and the synchronization of the different home appliances with each other. With this evolution, Yerha.com brings ample of advanced technology products your way”. According to Mr. Pulak Satish Kumar, Head of Business Development, Puresight Systems, “The Smart home market is an evolving market in India. We are already witnessing the use of smart devices like smart lighting, smart entertainment systems and home service robots like iRobot’s floor cleaning products. We are witnessing growth in sales, which is a good indicator of how well these products are being received in the market. This is an evolving market and the future is technology based smart homes. Technologies like IOT and M2M are enabling smart devices to be networked. This is making things simple and empowering customers to use their time more effectively”.
Areas of growth are going to be around Comfort & Convenience , Security & Safety, Energy Saving.
Mr. Shishir Gupta (CEO at Oakter)
What will drive the smart home market? “Increasing awareness of Smart Homes among users is a key growth driver. The awareness is high in metros but slightly lower in non-metros. The biggest contribution to generating this awareness is currently being made by builders. Customers are becoming aware of Smart Homes by way of
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seeing model flats, seeing brochures that builders put together showcasing Smart Homes. Apart from builders, another key source of awareness generation for Smart Homes has been the internet. Opting for Smart Homes will be one of the best ways for individuals, institutions and corporate entities to contribute their mite in saving the Earth from the perilous consequences of global warming – while making life easier, comfortable and convenient for everyone” said Mr.Thanik of Schneider Electric. According to Mr. Malik, increase in disposable income is the primary factor that has enabled people to consider IoT-based devices to make their homes ‘smart’. Since, smart home appliances can be controlled using a smartphone and provide convenient ease of access and use, lot of IT companies which focus on IoT-based devices are entering the smarthomes market with innovative products. Other key drivers are: Infrastructure, Fiber broadband, Local content, Monetization of content (to bring money for content creators/providers), Interoperability (all devices can smoothly sync with one another), Affordability, Availability (online as well as offline channels). According to Shishir there will be 4 categories of market drivers ,Technology leader companies like Amazon, Google & Apple, Smart home products manufacturing companies like Ring, Xiaomi & Oakter, Internet service provider companies like Jio, Airtel and Tata telecommunications and Home Appliance manufacturing companies like V-Guard, Onida and Carrier. “The rapid growth of home automation or smart homes is because of some major driving forces like stable economic development, rising urbanization, employment opportunities, better standards of living and the growing demand for lifestyle products. People are so much occupied in their life’s that they want Technology or gadgets to smoothen their life” adds Mr. Manikant Jain. Mr. Satish Kumar of Puresight Systems said that the smart
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“Smart Home technology has been experiencing rapid advancements in the realm of internet of things (IoT) which is increasing the potential that this technology holds. Over the years, we will likely see these smart home products become more widespread, as well as more powerful and interconnected. The product range includes Smart Keypads, Touch Panels, Motion Sensors, LPG Sensors, Smoke Detectors, Aircon & A/V integration, Door Entry Systems, Energy Consumption Monitoring, and operation through hand-held devices on Phone & Tablet not only from inside the premises but also from outside.”
Mr. Thanik B Director Strategy & Business Development, Buildings Business, Schneider Electric India.
home market is being driven by dynamic technological advancements. For example, IOT (Internet of Things) and M2M (Machine to Machine) is helping devices to be networked and integrated with each other. What are the options for managing a smart home? Area of growth for connected home? According to Mr. Thanik B, in India, the concept of smart homes is being integrated with that of green homes. Developers are trying to make homes intelligent enough to distinguish between family members and guests within physical spaces and adapt to individual needs based on biometrics like fingerprints. Developers have recognized the dire need for smart homes, green homes and their benefits in an environment struggling with air, traffic, heat and noise pollution. While we have to rely on the administration to take care of our outdoor living conditions, we can at least control our home environment to create a better living condition. People are seeing social as well as financial benefits from sustainability factors. They now demand a house which is sustainable, energy efficient and eco-friendly.
Smart homes use a standard Wi-Fi connectivity to manage devices; but having a mesh of Wi-Fi access points provides an easy-to-administer system. It’s the Internet of Things (IoT) that takes home automation to the next level by allowing devices to communicate and send information. And yes, Yerha has all such products in its palette enough to provide you the better living and easy accessing. From big and small devices like Klickr, EMOI Bluetooth speaker to those intricate technological devices like Swissvoice, IMCO watch and Voice Bridge will continue to rule the market. And are enough to make your home a Smart one said Mr. Manikant Jain. Today, we have a lot of devices which we can manage through a smartphone. Sitting far away from your home, you can not only ensure safety and security for your loved ones but also control various electronic appliances such as AC, TV etc. MediaTek, through its R&D efforts and constant
technology advancements, continues to deliver technology to enrich and enhance everyday life. MediaTek is always on the lookout to collaborate in order to support the ecosystem, while offering smart and sustainable chipset solutions for the latest products. Recently, two leading brands announced the launch of advanced devices in association with PiOctave and Chainway at the 3rd Smart Cities India 2017 Expo held in New Delhi. The futuristic IoT devices include a video doorbell from PiOctave, while the Chainway device is designed for the healthcare industry. The products will benefit private as well as government companies, hospitals and the general public as a whole. As per updates available, these products will be available to the mass market by Q3 said Mr. Malik.
“We are equally customer and technology focused – in other words, we constantly look to bettering our customers’ experiences and delivering on their expectations.” Mr. Pulak Satish Kumar Head of Business Development, Puresight Systems
Mr. Kumar shares, “A smart home consists of devices and appliances, which can be controlled with apps, gestures and are integrated in the system. These can be networked and multiple devices can be controlled with the help of personal assistant devices like Alexa, Google Home and HomePod. So managing the smart home is becoming much easier. The growth for connected devices is humongous. Smart devices like TV, Music Systems, Lighting and iRobot Roomba & Braava Jet, etc., all can be connected and operated easily”.
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“Today’s generation wants adapt the changing technology fast, in order to simplify daily life. With 55% of the population within the 18-35 age group in India, the market has the potential to grasp upcoming technologies and make optimum use of them. The urban population particularly has shown a positive growth in adopting and experimenting with new technologies on offer.” Mr. Kuldeep Malik Country Head - Corporate Sales International, MediaTek India
What are the barriers to connected product purchase, is it price or evolving technology? Our main idea with respect to Smart Homes would be to make evolving technology available to customers at an affordable price. Solutions are fully Scalable. These solutions can be implemented to new homes and existing homes with required changes as needed. Every household has a specific set of requirements and hence, the smart home installations need to be customized to meet individual requirements. This will ensure most efficient and cost effective network. Therefore, we can say that smart homes work on the concept of synchronisation and customization. With new technologies and devices being customised to be connected to the Internet of Things, Smart Homes’ trends are bound to scale new heights in innovation, efficiency and lower costs said Mr.Thanik B. I don’t think technology and price are barriers to connected product purchase. It’s the real value proposition for the customer and creating awareness about that value proposition said Shishir Gupta of Oakter. The ever-evolving landscape of technology has led to the availability of various new gadgets and systems in the market, giving options to consumers to choose from. Smart homes have become a standard concept and smart devices highly essential equipments. For consumers choosing the good quality or the high end product can be more long lasting than the low end product. But, when it actually comes to buying a product, price remains the main concern. Although there are consumers who stick to ‘loyalty’, the ‘attractive product deals’ pulls the crowd, leaving only a few for their preferred brand shares Mr. Satish Kumar. Mr. Malik said that internet has changed the telecom landscape, especially with IoT revolution. As per GSM Association, the machine-to-machine (M2M) market is expected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2020. The widening scope of IoT is seen in sectors such as healthcare, education, auto, agriculture, security, surveillance etc. They are not shying away from
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spending considerable amounts provided the solutions help raise the security-and-safety bar of their personal space and surroundings at large. The barriers to connected product purchase can be the premium price to some extent. But this will be shortlived. People have welcomed technology with open hands and today IoT-based technology is used across sectors, including health and fitness and transport. As these solutions become part of every-day life, prices are sure to ease, thus speeding up connected products’ purchase and adoption. The growing significance of intelligent devices to enable consumers to get remote access and control over their homes has resulted in the growth of the smart home industry. The market players from the Americas, Europe, and APAC are significantly investing in different segments of the smart home “Smart homes use ‘home automation’ technologies to provide home owners with ‘intelligent’ feedback and information by monitoring many aspects of a home. For example, a smart home’s refrigerator may be able to catalogue its contents, suggest menus, recommend healthy alternatives, and order replacements as food is used up. A smart home might even take care of feeding the cat and watering the plants”
Mr. Manikant Jain CEO of Yerha.com industry including hardware, technology, software, and service segments. And smart home industry has witnessed a considerable number of new product launches, partnerships, and agreements carried out by the market players will lead to many new avenues. In India, the market for smart homes has been growing steadily. Every year, the uptake of smart homes in India is increasing by between 15-18 per cent in tier 1 cities and by between 5-10 per cent in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
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A study of millennial parents of Generation Alpha Kids IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, today unveiled “Generation AI: A Study of Millennial Parents of Generation Alpha Kids.” The survey illuminates how Millennial parents with Generation Alpha children (those seven years-old or younger) think growing up interacting with AI technology will impact the lives of their children. Born in 2010 and through 2025, Generation Alpha is considered by many to be the most tech-infused demographic, and AI technologies are expected to infiltrate nearly every aspect of their lives. Parents are Less Worried if AI is Behind the Wheel Getting a driver’s license is a new stage of independence for teens, but with self-driving car technology on the horizon, the IEEE survey found that Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids are slightly more nervous about their child driving for the first time alone (31 percent) than their child riding in a self-driving car alone for the first time (25 percent). However, 44 percent of parents are equally worried about both scenarios. AI, Not Kids, Preferred by Millennial Parents for Care During Golden Years Experts say AI will power smart devices in the home that support physical, emotional, social and mental health, from monitoring and assistive devices like intelligent walkers to robot-assisted dressing. About two-thirds of Millennial parents (63 percent) would rather have AI help them live independently in their golden years, while just 37 percent prefer to rely on their own children, the study found. AI Pets Put Real Ones in the Doghouse, While Some Families Welcome AI Nannies AI is powering pet robots that can identify, greet, obey and entertain the family. Nearly half (48 percent) of Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids say they would be likely to get a robot pet instead of real pet if their child asked for one, according to the survey. In addition, fathers (55 percent) are more likely than mothers (42 percent) to get a pet robot for their kids. Because AI is giving life to walking and talking robots that are becoming more adept at human behavior, 40 percent of Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids say they would be likely to supplement or replace a human nanny with a stay-at-home robo-nanny to help take care of their children. AI and Parenting: Emotional and Physical Health To keep Gen Alpha kids engaged, Millennial parents are using apps, interactive screens and artificial intelligencepowered devices that 44 percent say also increases their own focus as parents, as a result. In addition: • Although two-thirds (64 percent) of Millennial parents
Mobility JUly 2017
of Generation Alpha kids say that AI and other technologies give them time to do other things, twothirds (63 percent) agree that technologies, including AI, have diminished quality time with their child. • Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids are nearly twice as likely to agree (45 percent agree, 23 percent disagree) that AI and other technologies minimize their frustrations as a parent. • Two in five Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids (39 percent) have either complete or a great deal of trust in AI to help diagnose and treat their children if they become sick. Almost half (46 percent) have some trust AI Helping Gen Alpha Kids Learn Faster Than Their Parents; AI Tutors Seen as Attractive In the future, “smart” toys and AI apps currently in development have the potential to respond to human language and a child’s behavior or enable real-time monitoring and enhancement of vocabulary learning. According to the IEEE survey, a majority of Millennial parents (80 percent) say AI technology increases their expectations that their Generation Alpha babies will learn faster and more than they did, while for 20 percent, expectations are the same or less. In addition, three quarters (74 percent) of Millennial parents say they would consider an AI-powered tutor for their child. Pervasiveness of World-Changing Technology Means Millennial Parents will Encourage Gen Alpha Kids to Study Engineering Many experts believe that engineering is driving a myriad of world-changing activities, from space exploration, drones and computer science to health, medicine and biology; and from vehicle technology to consumer electronics, to name a few. About threequarters of Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids (74 percent) say they will encourage their child at least somewhat to consider studying and pursuing a career in engineering (including 38 percent who will strongly encourage them) given the world-changing activities in that field.
CHANNEL FOCUS
“Acceptability of Indian brands has gone down in above-5k range smartphones segment” In an interaction with Mobility, Jeetu Aggarwal, Proprietor of Shaurya Distributors and Teletech International, the two Siliguri (West Bengal) based Distribution companies for mobile phones and tablets, shares his company’s policies, market challenges and future plans.
Mr. Jeetu Aggarwal Proprietor of Shaurya Distributors and Teletech International.
Please brief us about your company, the brands & products you distribute? We have two distribution verticals in Siliguri--one is Shaurya Distributors and the other is TeleTech International with each vertical handling 2 brands. We are into Distribution of mobile phones of Intex, Ziox and I-Smart; and tablets of Datawind. For Intex and Ziox, we are catering only to the local market of Siliguri (West Bengal) and the surrounding areas, but for I-Smart mobiles phones and Datawind tablets, we are distributing across 7 districts of West Bengal. We are not dealing in accessories at present. What are the latest trends in the mobile phone market and how are you dealing with these trends and how the online sales are affecting you? As far as the market trends are concerned, there is a huge demand for 3G handsets since the mobile operators are offering a lot of discounts and cheap data plans on 3G network. After demonetization, the market has slowed down due cash crunch with customers, which has negatively impacted us a lot. We are focusing more on those brands and products aimed at the Rs 3000-6000 (mid-segment) and also focusing on feature phones. Acceptability of Indian brands has gone down in smartphones in the above-5k range segment. The online business has been affecting our sales as the midsegment 8-15k phones have vanished from the general trade. Brands like Mi, Lenovo and Motorola have gained monopoly over this segment. We hope the government will come up with a policy that will change the situation. What differentiates you from your competitors and what are your merits (USPs)? How do you motivate your downline partners?
We always maintain the clarity of accounts, settle claims in a timely manner and make sure that all entries in ledgers are kept up-to-date, which our dealers and distributors to manage their accounts better and trust us. We work on a prefixed margin with our dealers and distributors and ensure that all the schemes and incentives are conveyed and passed on in a very transparent manner. Q. Today, service is very important. Please explain your views on the importance of service and tell us how you provide service--through the vendor or yourself or a through a third party. Yes, service is the backbone of a successful distribution company and we are very much conscious about it. But replacement warranty policy for smarphones has big problem as it needs a different infrastructure and the replacement usually takes 10-15 days with which the customer is not happy and he expects replacement on the same day, as the way brands advertise. The best approach is to assure the service within a short timeframe which is good for both, the customer and the company. What is your company’s present growth rate and your future plans and where do you want to be in the coming 3 years? To be frank, our growth is stagnant at the moment. We are negotiating with a Chinese mobile brand with whom the deal is close to finalization, and we intend to cover a larger geographical area for this brand. This new along with our new plans in line, we are looking forward to an annual growth rate of 60% over the coming 3 years. We believe in sustainable growth based on transparency and fair practices.
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Device of the month
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Date of Pub: 10th July, 2017 | 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