handsets

The sales of mobile devices would rise by as much as 231 million in 2012 from 213 million units in 2011, says the Gartner report, ‘Market Share: Mobile Communication Devices by Region and Country, 3Q11. A significant rise of 8.5% is what is being projected in the time to come for the sales of the mobile devices. With more than 150 manufacturers competing for the Indian mobile users attention, the battle between both the domestic and global boys has never been so fierce. According to the report, while the domestic players are leading in the low segment market, the mid-range to high end market continues to be very competitive with the global players putting more focus on the Indian market than even before. Nokia and Samsung have both been touted as the leading players in the market in India, followed by G’Five, Karbonn Mobiles and Micromax in the third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively in the Q3 of 2011. The report further states that India makes up for 12 percent of the total mobile phone sales, globally and the fact that the market is huge, in terms of potential customers, adds up significantly. The Indian mobile market is an open market. Simply put, unlike elsewhere in the world, mobile handsets in India are sold sans any cellular connection, thus giving it the significant title of being a viable market. According to Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, “the big global brands will continue to face competition from local and Chinese brands as some of these brands are building capabilities to compete at a larger level covering broader consumer segments.” He further added, “the entry of Indian mobile handset players focusing on low-end, value conscious consumers has intensified competition in the Indian mobile device market.” The average selling price (ASP) of a mobile device is now approximately $45 ( Rs 2,250), with 75 percent of devices sold costing below $75 ( Rs 3,750).