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Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
HMD to foray in India's sub-₹10,000 5G smartphone segment: Ravi Kunwar
NEW DELHI: HMD said India remains a key market for the brand from a revenue contribution and manufacturing perspective, and it is working with both mainline and digital commerce platforms to sell handsets. 'For us, India remains a key focus market as a brand. To meet the specific needs of Indian consumers, we have introduced several devices tailored for this market, including HMD-branded and Nokia devices. We are also preparing to launch a new 5G smartphone priced under ₹10,000, targeting the high demand for affordable devices in India,' Ravi Kunwar, vice-president (VP) & CEO, HMD India and APAC, told ETTelecom . 'India remains our largest market by resources and financial contribution, and we are committed to expanding our operations, partnerships, and product offerings to strengthen our market position in both feature phones and smartphones,' he added. ETTelecom in its February 7, 2025, edition, reported that the sub-₹10,000 5G smartphone shipments may contribute to the overall industry's volumes despite multiple challenges, albeit in single digits. The brand is present in more than 1 lakh traditional or mainline retail stores in India, but it is now 'significantly working' with both e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, and quick-commerce channels, including Blinkit, Kunwar said. HMD's brand e-store, according to him, is expanding and strengthening in terms of product availability and distribution channels. 'Our strategy involves working closely with distributors and retailers, offering comprehensive support and incentives, as well as engaging in robust marketing activities to optimize reach and execution, especially ahead of major sales cycles,' he said. The top executive's comments come at a time when HMD is scaling back its operations in the USA amid a 'challenging geopolitical and economic environment', the international media reported recently. HMD, in 2016, had bought the Nokia feature phone business from Microsoft and had also secured a license to sell Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets, particularly in the mid-range segment. However, HMD Global is now focused on selling smartphones under its own brand and exploring white-label manufacturing opportunities. This followed after HMD signed an agreement with Finnish Nokia in 2023 to ramp down the smartphone business, with which it had forayed into the market in 2016. READ MORE | Sub-$100 smartphone to boost affordability, experience, 5G shift: Qualcomm's Savi Soin '95% of our devices are manufactured in India. Over the past couple of years, we've also started exporting these 'Made in India' devices to other countries,' Kunwar said. 'India is not only our manufacturing hub but also the most important market for us from both a business perspective and a growth opportunity standpoint,' he added. Prachir Singh, a senior analyst with Counterpoint Research, told ETTelecom that HMD, including its Nokia-branded smartphones, has maintained a low market share in India, primarily due to a limited product lineup, weak channel engagement, and declining consumer recall. 'The brand hit a peak in Q2 2023. However, its share remained below 1%. HMD officially entered the Indian smartphone market under its own branding in Q3 2024 with the Crest and Crest Max series. However, these models struggled to gain traction amid intense competition and a crowded value segment,' Singh said. As a result, HMD presently has a marginal presence in India, with the brand 'significantly outpaced by more aggressive and better-positioned rivals', he added. Kunwar said that in the feature phone segment, the brand is currently 'number one in value and a close number two in volume', making this category a strong performer for the company in India.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Centre's losses from grey market TV sellers may swell to $2 billion: SPPL CEO
NEW DELHI: The Central government's losses from unregulated grey market television (TV) sellers may reach $2 billion (~₹17,200 crore) in the near future, according to Super Plastronics ( SPPL ). The Noida-based firm is the brand licensee of Thomson , Kodak , and Blaupunkt in India. 'Organised brands such as SPPL, brands, and OEMs have a huge challenge to deal with. The government may have to bear up to $2 billion of tax loss in the near future. The government is undertaking measures, but unorganised trade is causing significant problems,' Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL, told ETTelecom . These grey market sellers, he said, primarily operate in the entry-level TV segment, where the top five market players have started coming under pressure. 'The government is also losing out on customs duties. The practices of unorganised traders are perfect for initiating regulatory actions by agencies such as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED),' he added. Industry executives said such traders regularly import electronic components from countries such as China, assemble them in factories in locations such as Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, and sell unbranded televisions in rural markets, where consumer awareness about brand authenticity and related aspects remain low. Marwah said SPPL has a 6% share in the TV market, which has a volume of around 14 million units, and expects this to grow to 7% in 2026, supported by premium, large-screen models backed by display and audio innovations. Recently, Thomson launched new mini-LED TVs with a 108W speaker system comprising two integrated subwoofers, QD 4K displays, powered by Google TV, in the price range of ₹61,999 to ₹95,999. The top executive said the TV market remained stagnant in the first half of 2025, but the upcoming festival season, combined with the replacement cycle, may drive recovery in the July-December 2025 period. 'One of the key reasons (for market stagnation) is due to the purchases that happened during the COVID pandemic. I think there was a saturation in the market, and there was no disruption in technology. Now, the time has come. The replacement in the market will start from H2 2025,' he said. Counterpoint Research has projected that the Indian TV market may grow by a modest 4% in 2025, with a recovery anticipated in the second half following a sluggish start to the year. 'Due to the ongoing economic uncertainty and inventory issues across top brands, the market is likely to remain slow with a premiumisation trend as buyers begin to value performance and quality alongside affordability. The demand for premium and large-screen TVs will continue to rise, while shipments of smaller 32-inch TVs are expected to decline further,' Anshika Jain, senior research analyst, Counterpoint, told ETTelecom . The research agency said that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled smart TVs remain in the early stages of adoption, with major players gradually offering advanced features such as adaptive picture and sound, as well as multilingual voice assistants.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Centre's losses from grey market TV sellers may swell to $2 billion: SPPL CEO
NEW DELHI: The Central government's losses from unregulated grey market television (TV) sellers may reach $2 billion (~₹17,200 crore) in the near future, according to Super Plastronics ( SPPL ). The Noida-based firm is the brand licensee of Thomson , Kodak , and Blaupunkt in India. 'Organised brands such as SPPL, brands, and OEMs have a huge challenge to deal with. The government may have to bear up to $2 billion of tax loss in the near future. The government is undertaking measures, but unorganised trade is causing significant problems,' Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL, told ETTelecom . These grey market sellers, he said, primarily operate in the entry-level TV segment, where the top five market players have started coming under pressure. 'The government is also losing out on customs duties. The practices of unorganised traders are perfect for initiating regulatory actions by agencies such as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED),' he added. Industry executives said such traders regularly import electronic components from countries such as China, assemble them in factories in locations such as Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, and sell unbranded televisions in rural markets, where consumer awareness about brand authenticity and related aspects remain low. Marwah said SPPL has a 6% share in the TV market, which has a volume of around 14 million units, and expects this to grow to 7% in 2026, supported by premium, large-screen models backed by display and audio innovations. Recently, Thomson launched new mini-LED TVs with a 108W speaker system comprising two integrated subwoofers, QD 4K displays, powered by Google TV, in the price range of ₹61,999 to ₹95,999. The top executive said the TV market remained stagnant in the first half of 2025, but the upcoming festival season, combined with the replacement cycle, may drive recovery in the July-December 2025 period. 'One of the key reasons (for market stagnation) is due to the purchases that happened during the COVID pandemic. I think there was a saturation in the market, and there was no disruption in technology. Now, the time has come. The replacement in the market will start from H2 2025,' he said. Counterpoint Research has projected that the Indian TV market may grow by a modest 4% in 2025, with a recovery anticipated in the second half following a sluggish start to the year. 'Due to the ongoing economic uncertainty and inventory issues across top brands, the market is likely to remain slow with a premiumisation trend as buyers begin to value performance and quality alongside affordability. The demand for premium and large-screen TVs will continue to rise, while shipments of smaller 32-inch TVs are expected to decline further,' Anshika Jain, senior research analyst, Counterpoint, told ETTelecom . The research agency said that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled smart TVs remain in the early stages of adoption, with major players gradually offering advanced features such as adaptive picture and sound, as well as multilingual voice assistants.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Flagship smartphones in India may get expensive as cost of AI weighs on chipsets, components
NEW DELHI: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) could become a double-edged sword for smartphone brands, with industry executives and experts expecting that the rising costs of chipsets and memory modules may make flagship handsets expensive by about 10-15% in India in the coming quarters. The rising costs, if passed on to mid-range model buyers, could further dull the smartphone shipments in India this year, according to analysts. 'The cost is increasing to offer premium performance. But we can control our costs even if we improve our performance every year. So I think from this part we have a better advantage versus our major competitor ( Qualcomm ),' Thomas CH, senior director (product marketing) at Taiwanese MediaTek , told ETTelecom recently. Thomas said consumers are willing to pay more money to buy a better smartphone, adding that chipset makers and other vendors are attempting to control costs. 'MediaTek is part of a very complex supply chain, which also includes memory, display, and camera, and others. Every industry is doing its best to control the costs,' he said. Its rival, Qualcomm, earlier this year said that the enhancements in processing capabilities, AI and connectivity are reflected in the price points of its chipsets. 'TSMC price increases for 3- and 4-nanometer kicked in in January…our objective there is to reflect the cost increases in ASPs (average selling prices) over a period of time,' Akash Palkhiwala, chief operating officer (COO) & chief financial officer (CFO) of Qualcomm, said at the company's Q1FY25 post-earnings call. As per the International Data Corporation ( IDC ), fluctuating currency exchange rates are further contributing to the rise in chipset prices. '...it's unclear if these increases will be passed on to Indian consumers. Passing on higher costs to consumers could further dampen smartphone sales in India, a market already experiencing subdued demand,' Upasana Joshi, research manager, IDC, told ETTelecom , adding that since AI capabilities have also become available in devices priced upward of ₹30,000, a price hike could have an industry-wide effect. 'Smartphone brands will need to carefully consider their pricing strategies to avoid alienating consumers and exacerbating the decline in sales. They face the difficult task of absorbing some of these increased costs or finding innovative ways to justify higher prices to a price-sensitive market,' she added. Counterpoint Research , however, opined that the wide availability of financing schemes has reduced barriers to purchasing smartphones priced ₹30,000 and above segment, with consumers leapfrogging from mid- or high-tier to purchase flagship models. 'With the rising chipset costs and also corresponding memory chipset costs to bring the full AI capabilities in a smartphone, the overall cost to manufacture a flagship smartphone will continue to rise,' Neil Shah, vice president at Counterpoint Research, told ETTelecom . 'After a point, brands will not have enough room to adjust the BoM (bill-of-materials) costs to keep the pricing the same year after year and will have to raise prices for flagships by at least 10-15% in the coming years as they move to chipsets with advanced nodes,' Shah added. Premiumisation, market outlook The Indian smartphone market, over the last few quarters, has benefited from the premiumisation trend combined with demand for fifth-generation (5G)-enabled connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven features. But the outlook for this year is pessimistic. IDC estimates a 3-4% annual decline in shipments for 2025 due to macroeconomic challenges and subdued consumer demand. Last year, the shipments stood at 151 million. Counterpoint has estimated a low single-digit growth in the second half of 2025. 'Overall market still could potentially grow in a low single digit in the second half (H2) of 2025. However, the segments above ₹30,000 are growing at a healthy double-digit, signaling the premiumisation trend continues. The sweet spot will move from sub-₹25,000 to more than ₹30,000 segment in H2 2025,' Shah said. MediaTek's Thomas, in turn, said the global smartphone market has stabilised from a volume perspective, but revenues will increase due to sales of expensive devices. 'The global smartphone market, by quantity, is quite stable. It is maybe growing by 1% to 3% every year. However, I think the revenue will increase as everyone wants a better product. So MediaTek will keep investing in flagship offerings, and in the entire portfolio to provide our OEM partners with various options,' he added.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Telcos actively spending in AI, infrastructure upgrades: Kyndryl's Paul Savill
NEW DELHI: New York-based Kyndryl that provides IT infrastructure services said that the telecom sector is evolving rapidly to embrace the 6G-led future, and together with artificial intelligence (AI), telecom carriers can automate necessary IT operations to cut time to market and enhance service reliability for subscribers. In an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Kyndryl Global Practice Leader— Network & Edge Paul Savill talks on telco modernisation, edge AI, cloud portfolio, and cybersecurity. Edited excerpts. What are the top 2-3 sectors that you are currently focusing on? Kyndryl is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services offering advisory, implementation and managed service capabilities to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. We run and transform the IT operations for companies across different sectors, including banking, telecom, manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and energy. How do you think AI can help telecom carriers as they look to reduce time to market? With 5G coverage reaching 95% of subscribers in India, do you think it's high time for telcos to automate and modernise infrastructure? The telecom industry is rapidly evolving toward a future shaped by 6G, digital twins, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies. However, traditional network infrastructures and management tools aren't built to support these advanced services, and the resulting IT complexity is only set to increase. Many telecom providers still rely on legacy systems and decades-old processes to run their IT operations. This makes it challenging to introduce modern AI solutions without risking disruption to current services. Carriers that fail to modernize will struggle to meet rising customer expectations for reliable, high-performance connectivity. By combining AI, machine learning and big data, telcos can automate essential IT operations like event correlation, anomaly detection, and root cause analysis. This not only reduces time to market but also enhances service reliability and operational efficiency. Additionally, some of the leading telecom equipment manufacturers are making significant progress in developing agentic AI capabilities to proactively manage networks. While challenges remain, we view this as the next major evolution in network management automation. Telecom carriers are looking at leveraging AI primarily to enhance customer experience, prevent customer churn, and bring new revenue streams. Your views based on your learnings and trends? In a recent Kyndryl and Altman Solon study on generative AI in the telecommunications sector, customer service implementations of generative AI had the highest success rate, with about 80% of telecommunications companies scaling these use cases to production and ~45% achieving ROI targets. Other areas of significant success were IT and development, network, and business support services like finance, procurement and supply chain functions. How do you think AI can improve edge computing, and what are its benefits to end customers? Edge computing plays a critical role in AI deployments, especially in mission-critical environments where data needs to be processed quickly and efficiently. AI inference at the edge involves processing data closer to the source, significantly reducing latency compared to cloud-based inference. This is crucial for applications requiring real-time insights, such as gaming, healthcare diagnostics, and fraud detection. Edge AI also reduces the need to transmit large volumes of data to centralized cloud servers, leading to cost savings on network usage for data transport, ensures optimal network performance, and is helpful in environments with limited connectivity. Beyond performance benefits, data governance mandates – driven by regulatory requirements and the need to mitigate security risks, are also accelerating edge AI adoption. What are your AI cloud offerings? Kyndryl recently launched a suite of AI private cloud services to speed up enterprise adoption of AI solutions by providing a secure and customizable platform for companies to develop, test, and deploy AI applications such as generative AI and large language models. The platform can be used for services across the healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and telecom, media and technology verticals. Do you think telecom operators are spending much on infrastructure upgrades and AI? Telcos are actively investing in AI and infrastructure upgrades. According to Kyndryl's People Readiness Report, which surveyed over 1,000 business and technology leaders across eight markets, 97% of telecom organizations are already using AI across multiple areas of their operations. In fact, investment in generative AI is growing so rapidly that many are overshooting their budgets. In another study done by Kyndryl and Altman Solon on generative AI in the telecommunications sector, we found that roughly 80% of executives reported exceeding their budgets when scaling AI projects, with a third exceeding budgets by as much as 50%. Some telcos are responding by refining their cost management and AI governance practices to improve outcomes. Companies are also increasingly exploring multi-LLM strategies and diverse model deployment approaches to better manage expenses and optimize performance. While the technology is still in its early stages, there is broad consensus among experts that its potential will grow significantly as implementation strategies mature. Who are your top telco customers globally? Kyndryl's global telco customers include Bharti Airtel , Vodafone , Telefonica, MasOrange, and British Telecom. Kyndryl also partners with Nokia to provide private 5G, edge computing and data center networking services and solutions to global enterprises. What is your cybersecurity portfolio? Since AI is becoming mainstream, do you think enterprises are still reluctant to adopt foolproof security? Kyndryl helps businesses become more cyber resilient by enabling them to anticipate, protect against, withstand and recover rapidly against evolving enterprise risks through an end-to-end cyber resilience framework. This integrated approach helps protect brand reputation, builds trust and supports operational resilience and regulatory compliance by aligning security, continuity and recovery efforts. The Kyndryl Readiness Report found that while 88% of business leaders see cybersecurity as a board-level priority, just 35% believe their organization is fully prepared to defend against cyber threats. The AI era introduces a new wave of security challenges – threats such as adversarial attacks, malicious inputs that mislead models, model poisoning and the corruption of training data all highlight the need for stronger model validation and data integrity.
