Next fight to be over affordable 5G handsets

With 5G ushering use-cases such as metaverse, cloud gaming and augmented reality, the computation needs for a phone will only increase and affordable 5G smartphones will unlikely fulfil the promise of 5G.

While the implementation of 5G in India is picking up speed, the demand for 5G enabled smartphones is going to spike, which could support low and mid-5G frequencies that are presently priced above Rs 15,000. Only 20 percent of smartphones sold in India are 5G enabled and the competition will be in the Rs 10k-15k segment.

India has recently concluded the 5G spectrum auction and the telcos now plan to roll it out in phases. It is being claimed that 5G will bring faster internet speeds with quicker downloads, smoother gaming experience, better video calling and an enhanced HD movie watching experience.

This ultra-fast connectivity - once reserved only for flagship phones - now starts to make its way to mid-range phones, and even budget low-segment devices. It appears that 2022 will be the year of 5G!

At present, even major OEMs are struggling to bring down the pricing of 5G smartphones with ongoing supply chain issues. 5G enabled smartphones are presently priced above Rs 15,000 and only 20 percent of smartphones sold in India are 5G enabled. Therefore, telcos will struggle to onboard subscribers onto their 5G network. Experts predict that 5G smartphone prices will go down during the festive season.

With 5G networks yet to go live in India, phone makers have already started launching 5G phones in India. Most of the latest smartphones launched in India support a bunch of 5G bands and will be ready for super-fast internet speeds when 5G networks go live in the country.

Over the past few quarters, multiple brands including Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, Motorola and Poco, among others, have launched their range of 5G smartphones across various price points starting from Rs 12,999.

Airtel has been working alongside global brands such as Nokia and Ericsson, as well as domestic companies like Tata Group, for its 5G network. While Jio has claimed that it’ll be the first network to launch the full-fledged 5G services in India, it looks like Airtel 5G won’t be far behind. Here’s what we know about Airtel 5G launch in India, speed, trial, and spectrum so far.

to Flipkart’s sales trends, the demand for 5G smartphones in the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 range has grown nearly four times in the first half of 2022 as against the same period last year.

Flipkart, witnessed almost double the searches for 5G smartphones in the first half of 2022 as compared to the same period last year. As per Flipkart, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu accounted for the most number of searches for 5G phones.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA