The state-run Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) is planning to manufacture low-cost 3G and 4G mobile handsets. The organisation has already taken seven manufacturers on board for technology transfer.
C-DOT is of the view that the market prices for such devices are artificially inflated. Most big companies offer smartphones with an average price of Rs 4,000. C-DoT wants to price their handsets below this level and enter the global competition. While the Indian smartphone market has players such as Samsung, Apple and Sony along with home-grown manufacturers such as Micromax, Lava and Karbonn, most of the devices the domestic manufacturers sell are imported, mainly from China.
