India’s internet user base to hit 402 million, second-highest in the world: IAMAI

[Ryuzaki]

4G Plans similar to 3G or costlier ???

rates for 4G and 3G are identical,you just need a 4G device to use it

Here is my speedtest result on airtel 4g in Noida

 

[Dungeness]

Moving backwards? India sell more "dumb" phones than smartphones by huge margin in Q3, 44 million vs 27 million.

Feature phone growth outstrips smartphone sales in India for Q3 | ZDNet

 

[Nilgiri]

Moving backwards? India sell more "dumb" phones than smartphones by huge margin in Q3, 44 million vs 27 million.

Feature phone growth outstrips smartphone sales in India for Q3 | ZDNet

How is it moving backwards?

a) In years prior to this feature phones were outstripping smartphones in sales volumes by like 10 to 1 or more. The general trend remains intact.

b) Its just one quarter, lets see what the whole year looks like.

c) The rural mobile banking program is probably playing a major role. People want to get connected but not necessarily though a smartphone which is beyond their means and has features they have no need for. It is bang for the buck for these people. I for one dont care one bit if feature phones are more popular for some more years to come and have a resurgence....as long as people's lives improve.

 

[Dungeness]

How is it moving backwards?

a) In years prior to this feature phones were outstripping smartphones in sales volumes by like 10 to 1 or more. The general trend remains intact.

b) Its just one quarter, lets see what the whole year looks like.

c) The rural mobile banking program is probably playing a major role. People want to get connected but not necessarily though a smartphone which is beyond their means and has features they have no need for. It is bang for the buck for these people. I for one dont care one bit if feature phones are more popular for some more years to come and have a resurgence....as long as people's lives improve.

Well, here is what the article says, and apparently, lots people in the industry were surprised with this reversed trend.

This is a far cry from 2013 when feature phones exhibited their first major slump in sales and continued sliding from then on. As smartphone sales took off and their penetration increased with blazing speed, from next to nothing to around 30 percent of the population, industry watchers were convinced that it was a just a matter of time before these feature phones would gently fade away.

 

[Nilgiri]

Well, here is what the article says, and apparently, lots people in the industry were surprised with this reversed trend.

It would only be surprising if smartphone sales were negative. Legacy phones are simply growing at a faster rate in this particular quarter for various reasons. And its one quarter, it could be an aberration so we will have to wait and see for more data for the whole year.

The 10% growth of smartphones is also a Q2Q growth rate not y.o.y. Y.o.Y Quarterly comparison would definitely be a whole lot higher.

This is a far cry from 2013 when feature phones exhibited their first major slump in sales and continued sliding from then on. As smartphone sales took off and their penetration increased with blazing speed, from next to nothing to around 30 percent of the population, industry watchers were convinced that it was a just a matter of time before these feature phones would gently fade away.

A vast rural hinterland is being unlocked in India, because of programs like PMJDY and MUDRA. So various unconventional phenomenon may be witnessed in the coming months and years....till higher urbanisation and rural purchasing power reaches levels where more expensive technologies can be absorbed and utilized in much larger numbers. Lots of rural folk have no time, need or money for smartphones....they want a basic phone with basic features still capable of accessing important things like banking/PDS that they will actually use when they are not busy earning a living.
For too long India has relied on top heavy growth without focusing enough on the base.....being a former tea vendor himself...Modi plans to drastically change this....because there are masses of people who are low income (but not absolutely poor) who need just the proper simple chances and opportunities to become at least lower middle class.

That is what is going to be way more important than growth rate figures....because such figures do not adequately represent the long term programs that are being implemented now to change the very nature of India's economic realisation.