Smartphone in Indian Scenario: Top Events & News in 2012

“Smartphone in Indian Scenario: Top Events & News in 2012”

· India is the fifth largest smartphone market in the world

The global research and information firm, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers has come out with an updated report on ‘2012 Internet Trends’

As per the report, India ranks fifth in the number of smartphone users and has registered one of the highest year-on-year growth rates in the uptake of smartphones. However, the country ranks second in terms of addition of new internet users over the last five years.

Mary Meeker, partner, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers, says, “With 44 million smartphone users in the fourth quarter of 2012, India is the fifth largest smartphone market globally, following China, the United States (US), Japan and Brazil.”

Further the report says that with just four per cent of the total mobile subscribers being smartphone users, India’s year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in the smartphone segment stands at 52 per cent, higher than China and the US. India has also added 88 million new internet users between 2008 and 2012 to become the second country to register highest number of internet users following China. Currently, in India there are 137 million internet users. In India, the mobile internet usage surpassed desktop usage in May 2012.

According to Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers, globally, there are 1.1 billion smartphone subscribers as of fourth quarter of 2012. Further, there are 2.4 billion internet users worldwide with an eight per cent y-o-y growth and a population penetration rate of 35 per cent. China continues to dominate in the internet usage segment with 538 million users, adding 282 million Internet users during 2008-2012.

As per the report, going forward, the increase in internet traffic originating from mobile will be higher with higher adoption of smartphone and tablets. Currently, 13 per cent of the global internet traffic is being generated through mobile devices.

Further the increase of mobile internet has brought in monetisation opportunities. The mobile application and advertising industry together generated revenue of about $19 billion in 2012.

Meeker, says, “Back in the US, the iPhone and iPad are revolutionising the web, in the same way that the iPod changed the global music industry.”

The solution enables people to work with their smart devices without compromising on company’s security. Vodafone secure device manager serves as an important solution for addressing security needs of chief information officers (CIO) and chief information security officers (CISO). It provides a secure management console which allows CIO and CISO to gain visibility and remotely configure and secure their organisations devices. The security solution allows IT administrators to remotely manage security policies, device settings, certificates, applications, operating system.

Commenting on the launch of the solution, Naveen Chopra, director, Vodafone Business Services, says, “We at Vodafone have always been excited about innovations in the smartphone and tablet industry as they’ve enabled our customers to enjoy an un-paralleled level of user experience. While the 'Bring Your Own Device' phenomenon has empowered our users, it has also exposed a gaping hole in the security armory of our corporate customers. We're witnessing an increase in mobile data security concerns raised by corporate customers. Secure device manager solution will allow IT administrators to easily manage and secure their organisation’s smart device fleet, via a simple and easy to use console. It’s the only way to let people bring their smart devices to work without compromising on the company’s security.”

Both devices operate on windows phone 8 platform. The 8X device has 4.3 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camera and packs in 16 GB of internal storage. The smartphone is priced at Rs 35, 023.

The 8S has a 4-inch screen and offers a 5 megapixel camera, 4 GB of internal memory storage, which is expandable upto 32 GB and is priced at Rs 19, 260.

Commenting on the launch, Faisal Siddqui, country head, HTC India, says, "Windows phones have clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world. We are confident that the iconic design and incredible innovation of the Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S by HTC will help consumers fully realise the potential and lifestyle benefits offered by these smartphones."

It will be launched in the month of November-December 2012 in India.

The Ascend P1 LTE TDD functions on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and can support high speed data on LTE networks and voice calls on the underlying 3G network. It will be available in India by December 2012.

The Ascend P1 LTE TDD functions on the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and packs in an AMOLED display and an 8 megapixel camera.

Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Kapoor, chief executive officer, India and South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, "We took the lead in introducing India's first 4G service in Kolkata and continue to commit towards driving the country's broadband agenda. As applicable to any new technology across the world, the long term adoption of 4G will rely on a variety of factors, specifically the device ecosystem readiness."

Dr. Avneesh Agrawal, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia added, "We are excited to collaborate with Bharti Airtel and Huawei to announce the first multi-mode LTE-TDD smartphone in India. With this significant milestone, consumers in India will have the choice of enjoying high-speed mobile broadband experience using an LTE smartphone."