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There is good news awaiting telecom and data companies offering 4G services. According to research firm CMR, 4G services in India could expand much faster than previous estimates. In 2016, more than 15.8 million 4G devices were shipped in India in the first quarter.
These devices include smartphones, data cards, and tablet PCs with 4G smartphones accounting for 97.9 percent of the total shipments. 4G smartphones shipments accounted for 63 percent of the total cellular shipments in the quarter. The availability of affordable 4G smartphones at prices lower than Rs 10,000 has contributed to the majority share of smartphones shipped into the country.
Samsung led the surge in shipments for 4G smartphones and tablets, accounting for 32 percent of the market share of 4G smartphones. Lenovo followed Samsung with 14 percent market share. But most significant traction was for LYF smartphones, recently introduced by Reliance Jio, which grabbed a 12.6 percent market share in the first quarter.
Samsung also led the pack of 4G tablets manufacturers with 58 percent market share. Apple and iBall accounted for 16 percent and 12 percent of the market share respectively. Overall, 4G tablets accounted for 0.6 percent of total 4G devices shipped in the quarter.
4G data cards, on the other hand, witnessed an increase of 0.5 percent in contribution to total shipments of 4G devices. They accounted for 1.5 percent of the shipments, with Huawei, ZTE, and Micromax being the only companies to ship 4G data cards in this quarter.
Several top service providers have launched LTE services, including Airtel, Idea, and Vodafone. Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Reliance Communications are also expected to launch 4G services soon. This would further lead to an increase in 4G devices and usage in the country.
“The smartphone industry was the first to bank on the 4G wave. Now, as the services go live with multiple operators, it is the time for other devices to ride on the growth path,” CMR Lead Analyst Telecoms Faisal Kawoosa said.