According to the global research firm Gartner, the mobile handset sales in India will increase from 221 million units in 2012 to 251 million units in 2013.
It expects the Indian mobile handset market to register steady growth over the next few years and estimates that the end user sales of mobile handsets will surpass 326 million units in 2016.
Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst, Gartner, says, ?The Indian mobile phone market is very competitive with more than 150 device manufacturers selling devices to consumers. Most of these manufacturers remain focused on the low-cost feature phone market which still constitutes over 91 per cent of overall mobile phone sales, offering a huge market to compete in.?
He further, adds, ?The increase in share of smartphone device sales, declining sales to first time buyers and the continuous focus of global manufacturers on the low cost feature phone market, has put many of the 150 plus local and Chinese device manufacturers under survival mode. Many of them are already struggling to maintain share in the growing market.?
Both India-based mobile handset manufacturers as well as China-based mobile handset manufacturers are building capabilities, distribution and brand to compete with the global players. As per the research firm manufacturers such as ZTE, Micromax, Karbonn Mobile, Huawei were placed sixth, seventh and twelfth in the Indian smartphone market in the first half of 2012. In order to compete with the global manufacturers such as Samsung and Nokia, these players are constantly expanding their smartphone portfolio.
Garner notes that Samsung?s brand strength and wide device portfolio has helped it to take advantage of the high growth opportunities in the Indian market. Samsung?s share in the Indian market has increased from 15 percent in first quarter of 2011 to 49.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2012.
