DataWind mulls sub Rs. 3,000 4G smartphone, to invest Rs. 200 crore in two manufacturing units.

Canada-based lowcost tablet and smartphone maker Datawind is considering a foray into the affordable 4G device segment by mid-2016 and plans to start two new manufacturing facilities with an initial investment of Rs. 200 crore in the country.

'We may work on a sub-Rs. 3,000-priced 4G-enabled smartphone next as the 4G market matures in India,' Datawind chief executive Suneet Singh Tuli told ET, adding that the company is closely watching the telcos' 4G moves.

Indian telcos are banking heavily on surging data consumption to fuel growth. Besides expanding its 3G services, Bharti Airtel, the country's top telecom operator, has launched 4G services, while No. 2 Vodafone India and No. 3 Idea Cellular will start their high-speed internet services later this year or in early 2016. Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm plans to start its 4G services around December.

Datawind shot to fame with an ultra-low-cost Aakash tablet PC debut in 2012 for a governmentbacked initiative aimed at increasing PC penetration among school children in India. The company's market share in India is close to 50% in the sub-Rs. 5,000 tablet category, Tuli said, citing various industry findings. US-based research firm IDC puts Datawind at the third spot, closely behind leader iBall and Samsung, with a share of 13.5% in the overall tablet market in the second quarter of2015. Datawind is also teaming up with Reliance Communications to launch the world's most affordable smartphone - priced at Rs. 999 - by the end of this year.


ET