Over 200 mn 4G devices sold in India in 2018: Report

The shipments of 4G devices surpassed 200 million units in India in 2018, growing by 50 per cent from 2017, and securing a market share of 64 per cent, a report by CyberMedia Research (CMR) said on Thursday.

While 4G-enabled mobile device shipments crossed 60 per cent, 4G tablets accounted for 44 per cent of the total tablet shipments in 2018, said CMR's Annual 4G LTE Devices India Market Review Report 2018.

"The 4G device penetration in India continues to gain traction, with 4G mobile phone and 4G tablet shipments on the rise. Reliance Jio Infocomm has been the X-factor," said Prabhu Ram, Head - Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.

In 2018, 4G contributed for 100 per cent of the total data cards that were shipped throughout the year.

Reliance Jio, Xiaomi and Samsung emerged as the top 4G smartphone players with 33 per cent, 20 per cent and 17 per cent market shares, respectively, in 4G smartphones in 2018.

In the 4G tablets category, Lenovo, Samsung and iBall secured 40 per cent, 26 per cent and 14 per cent market shares, respectively.

According to CMR, 4G technology adoption would potentially surpass 80 per cent by 2024.

Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst-IIG, CMR, said: "2019 will continue to see 4G adoption in India increase, through 4G feature phones, and bundled offerings at the entry level contributing to growth in 4G device shipments."

In addition, the report also estimates that 5G smartphone shipments in India would top 140 million by 2025.

"Our internal research estimates point to the 5G-enabled devices contributing to three per cent of the total smartphone shipments by 2021 and potentially reach 16 per cent by 2025," Ram said, adding "The course of 5G in India will be driven by how Jio plays its cards."