According to The Wall Street Journal, Google is “pushing to become a significant player in India’s huge wireless industry,” working with local handset makers to launch low-cost Android-powered devices in the coming months. The search giant is reportedly in talks with the likes of Micromax Informatics, Spice Mobility and Olive Telecom to deliver products priced at $150, to be driven down to sub $100 in the future.
Although, Android smartphones are already available in the country from companies like Motorola, HTC and Samsung – these usually cost too much for an average consumer in India.
A recent IDC market survey revealed a number of unique characteristics of the Indian market. For instance, there are about 35 local vendors which make-up one-third of the market. On the other hand, there’s Nokia which alone commands one third of the total. Moreover, folks in India dig multi-SIM capable devices, with almost 40% of devices sold rocking this feature. Finally, India lacks 3G network coverage which is crucial in taking advantage of connected services Android smartphone users are taking for granted.
One thing is certain, if Google manages to “crack the Indian code,” there’s a bright future for Android worldwide. We’ll definitely keep watching where this goes…
[Via: MobileBusinessBriefing]