Together, Samsung and Micromax own the lion's share of the Indian market and both of them are reportedly pulling 2G devices from it.
Leading smartphone makers Samsung and Micromax are reportedly planning to discontinue 2G services in India. According to a report by The Times of India, the OEMs will discontinue these devices in order to focus on phones that can manage 3G and 4G connections. Of course, such phones would ideally also be capable of connecting to 2G networks, as is evident from the frequent Edge connections that we get on our smartphones, in India. The 3G adoption rates in India have been amongst the fastest in the world, while 4G connectivity is also being widely advertised by telcos like Airtel.
Further, the imminent launch of 4G services by Reliance Jio has pushed Airtel and Vodafone to speed up their efforts, anticipating competition. While Airtel has already been running 4G networks in Delhi and other circles, Vodafone just announced its first 4G network in Kochi, Kerala yesterday. Vodafone’s 4G networks are also expected in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru circles soon.
Reliance Jio on the other hand, has been pushing its plans for rolling out 4G service for a while now. The Mukesh Ambani led company has reportedly invested Rs. 1 lakh crore into developing its 4G networks and is expected to turn the competition around in the country.
Meanwhile, smartphone OEMs have stayed ahead of the 4G growth in India. Micromax and Samsung have already sold a number of 4G capable devices in India, while other OEMs have also been pushing this as a feature. Devices like the HTC One A9, Apple iPhone 6S and many others, are already 4G capable, while cheaper smartphones, like the Moto E (2nd Gen) 4G, Xiaomi Redmi 2, Yu Yuphoria etc. also support all the 4G bands available in India.
4G connectivity is also growing thanks to a push by the government. Initiatives like Digital India and Smart Cities can not be accomplished without faster Internet connectivity. While the state of data networks in India have definitely improved in the past few years, they’re far from maturing. Telcos are still trying to figure out how to make the most money from these services, while consumers are often found reeling under slow network speeds.
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