App store mania grips Indian telcos

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Free is perhaps the obvious key for the service providers and handset makers, who seem to have been struck by the mobile application mania.

Vying for their share from the huge pie of mobile applications, both service providers and handsets' companies in India are gearing up to launch their dedicate app stores. They are opting for a safe play by experimenting with mix of free and paid services. Free applications have indeed helped them pull buyers.

According to Pyramid Research's recent report, although globally, paid apps have increased substantially in volume with the emergence of app stores, free apps have been extremely popular. The research agency estimates that in 2010, 36% of paid apps will be downloaded through app stores and 86 percent of free downloads will take place through them.

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