China's Huawei Evaluating Mobile Phone Manufacturing in India

China-based Huawei is evaluating ways to start production of mobile phones in India through contract manufacturing in association with Foxconn and is currently studying the business models and tax incentives.

A delegation of Huawei, led by its India CEO Jay Chen, met Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday and apprised him of its expansion plans for the country.

"We had a very elaborate talk and they have said that till now they have invested $2 billion (roughly Rs. 13,309 crores) in India in the last 16 years," Prasad said.

"They have a facility in Sriperumbudur... they are selling one million phones in India... if you are selling one million phones, you better start manufacturing here and they have promised me, they will explore the possibility. They are in talks with Foxconn on a contract basis. They are welcome to do business in India," Prasad said. Huawei is serving 40 networks worldwide from its offices in India.

Asked about manufacturing plans in India, a Huawei representative, who was part of the delegation, said, "(It) depends on the business volumes, we are still evaluating... we are trying to understand the policy, tax incentives and the business models. Currently, we manufacture the network equipment."

Apart from Huawei, officials of two other Chinese telecom companies, LeEco and ZTE, met the minister. Also, global CEO of US-based Avaya, Kevin Kennedy, along with Vishal Agarwal, who is MD (India and Saarc), called on the minister.

"All these companies are into ICT, into electronic manufacturing and communication services and all of them are very bullish about India. They are keen to invest and expand their footprint in India," Prasad said.

"I made three things clear to them. You are most welcome to do business in India, but keep sensitivities in mind. India is an open democratic society, be sensitive to issues of cyber-security and follow India's regulatory scenario properly."

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Tags: Cyber Security, Foxconn, Huwaei, India, LeEco, Make in India, Mobiles, ZTE

Samsung Takes India's Premium Smartphone Crown in 2015: CMR

2015 was another remarkable year for smartphones. We saw different companies getting increasingly competitive and launch affordable products, and we also witnessed several new players arrive in the market. According to CyberMedia Research, 96.4 million smartphones were shipped in India last year. Of this voluminous number, 3.4 percent handsets accounted for premium segment smartphones (priced at Rs. 30,000 or above). Samsung assumed the top-smartphone manufacturer spot in the category.

According to the marketing and research firm CyberMedia Research, Samsung assumed 46 percentcapture of the premium smartphone market in India. The South Korean smartphone manufacturer was closely followed by Apple, which boasts of 44 percent market share. Sony is the third biggest player in the premium smartphone race, capturing 3 percent of the pie. Overall, CyberMedia Research says, it saw 53 percent growth in the premium segment smartphones segment.

The research also claims that 98 percent of these premium smartphones shipped in the country last year supported 4G connectivity. Similarly, 99 percent of these smartphones were running eitherAndroid or iOS. What's worth noting here is that Microsoft and BlackBerry didn't launch many "premium" smartphones last year. Another observation made by the firm is that 63 percent of these phablets feature a 5-inch or larger display. The vast majority of them -- 79.5 percent, to be exact -- were powered by a Qualcomm-made SoC.

"This is an encouraging indicator that the premium segment is exhibiting such growth. As the Indian market moves from a volume game to value market, premium segment becomes significant for the industry where you sell lesser units for higher value," said Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst Telecoms, CMR. "To mark the next level of growth, the India Mobile Handset brands need to leverage the premium segment as the units market shrinks."

The firm believes that premium smartphone shipment will likely hit 5-million mark this year.

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Tags: Android, BlackBerry, India, iOS, iPhone, Microsoft, Mobiles, Samsung, Smartphones, Sony

Samsung May Unveil Foldable Smartphone-cum-Tablet Next Year: Report

South Korean smartphone maker Samsung may unveil a game-changer device next year which can be a 5-inch smartphone when folded and turn into a 7-inch tablet when opened, a media report said.

A prototype of foldable display is finished with development and the company is hoping to mass-produce the device starting from second half of this year, Korean news site ETNews reported.

Samsung reportedly invested into several technologies that are needed to build foldable smartphone.

The device can bend a screen in half by using Oled Display. One can carry it like a wallet and use it by opening it.

"Development of foldable Oled is taking place according to our plan. We are planning on mass-production and release of this product by discussing with our partners," Lee Chang-hoon, director of Samsung Display, said in January this year.

"Although mass-production cannot be concluded hastily since Samsung Electronics still has few other major tasks to complete, I have heard that Samsung Electronics had made considerable amount of results in the time being," a representative of an industry was quoted as saying.

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Tags: Foldable display, Mobiles, Samsung