Apple’s latest version of its smartphone, iPhone 4, is slated to debut in India in the next 30-45 days. The device, already launched in most parts of the world 11 months back, is expected to cause quite a ruffle in India as well.
Airtel and Aircel, are said to be working closely with Apple for the introduction of iPhone in India, Telco is also in race to launch the device to its corporate clients. Telecom operators are tight-lipped about the price and availability of iPhone 4, but sources close to the matter told Business Standard that the device is expected to be priced between Rs 39,000 and Rs 43,000 with special 3G data plans that are being tailored by the operators. Currently, the smartphone (16-GB model) is retailing at Rs 36,500 on online auction sites such as eBay.
Bharti Airtel, with over 215 million customers at the end of February 2011, is expected to roll out its marketing initiatives and data plans around iPhone 4 in “the coming few weeks”, revealed a source close to the company.
Vodafone sources say, “It is easier to sell 3G data plans to enterprise customers who consume data on the mobile platform.” Officials from Vodafone refused to provide any details on the matter.
Aircel too is tight-lipped about the iPhone 4 launch. “We will announce pre-bookings and 3G data plans closer to the date of the launch,” was Aircel’s reply. With 50 million subscribers in its kitty, Aircel is also offering 3G telecom services in 13 areas. It has tied up with Samsung, BlackBerry, Dell and Nokia for mobile devices with 3G compatibility.
With iPhone 4 due to be officially launched in India, Apple may also cut down the price of iPhone 3GS in India. Sources in Vodafone and Airtel said that iPhone 3GS failed to pick steam in country due to constraints in supply. “We know that to sell iPhone 4 in India, we have to get the supply right and that’s what we are focusing on at this moment,” said Anand Bhaskaran, Apple’s representative in India.
As per market research firm CyberMedia Research, the domestic mobile handsets market is expected to grow by 25 per cent this year to reach 210 million units over last year’s sales of 167 million. The sale of nearly 12 million smartphones expected in 2011 represents a near 100 per cent growth over sales of smartphones in 2010. “The proportion of smartphones as a percentage of total mobile handset shipments in the Indian market is expected to grow from 3.6 per cent to 5.7 per in 2011,” says Naveen Mishra, lead analyst (India-Telecoms Practice), CyberMedia Research.