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After dominating the Indian smartphone market with nearly 95% of all devices running its Android operating system, the tech giant Google is now looking to capture low-cost phone space from the country.
The parent company of Mountain View, California, has invested $ 22 million in KaiOS Technologies Inc., a Hong Kong-based company, manufacturer of the Kai operating system that equips phones of major Indian brands such as Micromax, Nokia (HMD Global Nokia Phones) and Reliance Jio among others. While India is home to the most dynamic smartphone market in the world, the size of its mobile phone market remains just as important.
Google's investment is in line with its Next Billion Users initiative which focuses on serving new Internet users or those for whom it is still difficult to connect. This will also allow Google to get its applications and services such as Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube and Google Search on mobile phones.
"We want to make sure that Google apps and services are accessible to everyone, that they use desktop computers," Anjali Joshi, vice president, product management, Next Billion Users, said in a statement. "Following the success of the JioPhones, we are excited to be working with KaiOS to further improve access to information for mobile phone users around the world."
Demand for feature phones India saw a strong rise in the first quarter of 2018 even though the demand for smartphones remained stable, largely because mobile phone users who have turned to smartphones have started to buy newer phones like the Reliance Jio phone.
According to Counterpoint, the mobile phone market in India grew by 97% in the quarter ended March. Meanwhile, KaiOS saw the demand increase by 11,400 percent, with 23 million devices powered by its OS shipped during the quarter
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Next Billion users must reach the lowest users of the pyramid and KaiOS offers them a very good opportunity to contact them. The form factor remains the same while adding features such as applications and connectivity, "said Tarun Pathak, badociate director of Counterpoint Research
Pathak adds that it will take a few more years for smartphones and Component manufacturers can really offer compelling devices in the sub-Rs 3000 segment. When this happens, more phone users will be upgraded to smartphones, but for the moment this is not the case. is not the case. Currently, only 3% of smartphones sold in India cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.
Rather than waiting for the market to catch up, Google is taking out smart phone users even If they end up smartphones at one point, they will have access to the same services. Essentially, Google is setting up a pipeline for customers to enter its ecosystem. But instead of focusing only on low-priced smartphones, it is now broadening this horizon.
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"This Funding Will Help Us Accelerate the Global Development and Deployment of Smartphones with KaiOS allowing us to connect the vast population that still can not access the Internet, especially in emerging markets, "said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies
.The Android smartphones have fallen by 14% to first quarter of 2018, as more and more people chose to buy multifunction phones, sales of which increased by 38 %.Most of this growth was led by HMD Global, which revived the brand iconic Nokia, based on KaiOS.
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