Samsung replaces Apple to gain top slot in 4G/LTE device shipments: CMR

NEW DELHI: The total 4G/LTE device shipments in the country reached 2.2 million units during the first quarter of CY 2015, with Samsung replacing Apple to gain the top slot, according to CMR India research.

Samsung recorded 27% market share in terms of units shipped, followed by Xiaomi with 17% and Apple with 15% share of units shipped during 1Q CY 2015.

Smartphones continued to dominate the space contributing 97% of the 4G/LTE devices shipped, the research firm said.

Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice, said, “The 4G/LTE device space is getting interesting as every quarter passes. The market more than doubled quarter-on-quarter and we see this momentum continuing for at least a few more quarters. Other than the need to appear distinctive in the market as well as move with worldwide industry trends, device vendors are also trying to create a ‘cult’ follower-ship in the emerging Broadband Wireless Access technology space.”

“With the kind of expected paradigm shift in quality as well as types of services after RJio goes ‘live’, device vendors are busy showcasing their competencies in the 4G/LTE space, not only to have an early mover advantage but also to position themselves as reliable vendors in the space,” he added.

The 4G/LTE datacard market is another significant contributor to 4G/LTE device shipments in the country. Although in terms of contribution, datacard shipments were only 2.64% of the total devices shipped, the segment has started showing exponential growth as predicted in CMR’s ‘Trends for 2015’.

In Q1 CY 2015, the QoQ growth was 287% for datacards. This segment was led by ZTE with 77% of shares followed by Alcatel 17% and Huawei 5%.

Vikrant Singh, Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice, said, “Samsung made a jump from third spot to top spot mainly on account of the launch of new handset models like A5, A6 and S6. New brands entering this segment during the quarter were Huawei, Blackberry and ZTE. The total number of players shipping 4G/LTE devices in the quarter were 19, up from 12 in the previous quarter.”

“The total models of 4G/LTE handsets shipped during the January-March 2015 quarter were 55, with Lenovo’s A6000 leading with maximum units,” he added.