Bharti Airtel, the biggest mobile phone firm in India, is in advanced discussion with handset producers to roll out a 4G handset in the lead for almost Rs 2,500, during Diwali. Let us see some views about this move.
Packed plans with such a 4G handset would make a lot of dissimilarities as they will play a role of incentives for a user in a market where the net selling cost of a 4G smartphone is Rs 11,000, claimed Senior Analyst at Cybermedia Research, Faisal Kawoosa, to the media. “Airtel’s 4G smartphone might be a bit self-governing since the VoLTE feature handsets with the same operator (JioPhone) being rolled out are closed loop, while the smartphone on Android gives the liberty for users to chose the different operator,” Kawoosa further added.
To be certain, Senior Analyst at International Data Corporation (IDC) India, Navkendar Singh, warned that guarantying quality user experience on a 4G handset having a price tag of Rs 2,500 might stay a challenge. “Having good battery, quality screen, and high-speed processor for a price tag of Rs 2,500 is difficult. Also, they are anticipating feature handset consumers who currently invest around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 to shell out an extra dime to purchase a handset,” Singh claimed. Another industry source claimed that the handset to be rolled out by Airtel in association with a handset producer might be operated on Android Go.
It is a version of Android declared in May, targeted at arrears with slow connectivity of Internet and has been developed to operate smoothly even on lower-end smartphones. Google refused to comment for this query. An industry expert claimed that the decision would be advantageous for Airtel as it will make an additional income source activated by the usage of data, which is at the core of the business of the company.
Airtel will be allowed to make extra sales without having to handle the “end to end” supply chain of selling and making handsets. The joint venture will also work for headset brands that will profit from the retail chain and large distribution of Airtel spread all over the country, claimed analysts.###
