Nokia planning to enter 4G feature phone market in India

After taking the telecom industry by storm, Relaince Jio had a similar impact on the feature phone market as well, thanks to the 4G-VoLTE enabled JioPhone. The addition of 4G and aggressive pricing has made it a trendsetter in the feature phone market, and has inspired other device maker to launch such handset as well.

Even HMD, the Nokia phone maker, believes that too, and plans to launch a 4G feature phone in India as well.

Ajay Mehta, India VP for HMD Global in a statement to Economic Times said that “JioPhone is definitely going to have impact on the segment, and there is no question about it. We are watching how this materialises. If we see a viable business proposition, we will definitely consider it and participate,” 

Mehta also said that the feature phone segment is important for Nokia because of its potential size in India. The company currently offers four feature phones, including the refreshed Nokia 3310, but none of them supports 4G. “If there is a business opportunity, for sure we are open to it…in that [feature phone] category, our brand is very strong,” he added. 

It is not clear what Nokia's strategy will be for the 4G feature phone, when it comes to pricing. The new Nokia 3310 that supports only 2G network and is priced at Rs. 3,310, while the 3G version, price translates to around Rs. 5,000, which is higher than the current feature phone prices in India. According to reports the company has no plans to bring the 3G enabled Nokia 3310 to India.

Apart from HMD, Micromax (w/ BSNL), Intex, Lava and Airtel plans to launch affordable 4G handsets priced below Rs. 2,500. 

Via