NEW DELHI: HMD WorldwideNokia-branded mobile handset maker will work with key industry partners to make 5G-enabled smartphones more affordable for the Indian market, adding that the launch of “affordable” devices will be an important area of focus for the company when the services are commercially available.
“We look forward to working with key partners on 5G for India. It is clear that we are going to focus on the affordable part of the 5G market. We are absolutely focused on bringing 5G much wider through our overall smartphone portfolio,” Florian Seiche, CEO, HMD Global told ET.
In 2022, in addition to mid-to-premium X-series smartphones, more devices in the affordable G-series will have 5G this year. “…that’s our priority to make the 5G experience stronger across our smartphone lineup,” he added.
“…we want to provide a great experience at an affordable price. We have demonstrated this in the US market with what we do with operator customers. We are rolling out 5G phones en masse. In the affordable 5G smartphone segment, we are currently one of the two leading device manufacturers in the US,” he added.
Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, vice president of HMD Global, which also leads the Indian market, said device launches in the $100-$150 range is a function of supply and demand. However, the current prices of 5G chipsets are higher than those of 4G chipsets, so prices do not fall sharply.
“The rollout of 5G will take place soon and it will be in high demand” 5G smartphonesKocchar said, adding that the cost of the 5G chipset will fall as demand rises,
India is going to auction 5G spectrum this month, with services expected to roll out by the end of the year.
“From now 5G devices are around Rs 14,000-15,000 and are slowly coming down. At some point it will come down to about $100, but we’ll have to see when that will happen,” he added.
A Crisil According to the recently published report, prices of 5G phones are unlikely to fall any time soon, and some relief is only possible in the festival quarter in 2022, when vendors are likely to clear the stock.
India will have 70-80 million 5G smartphones by the end of 2022 as brands double bet on next-generation technology with spectrum auctions just around the corner, market trackers say.
While IDC predicts that one in two devices shipped to India this year will support 5G, Counterpoint Research shows that this is just under 40% of total shipments. According to Counterpoint, 5G smartphones accounted for 29% of total smartphone shipments at the end of March.
While the current average retail price (ASP) of 5G phones is Rs 32,000, brands are aiming to push more devices in the Rs 10,000-15,000 range by the end of the year to cater to a wider mass of consumers and increase adoption. of smartphones, analysts said.