Micromax to expand LTE-enabled portfolio, to launch five more 4G devices

NEW DELHI: With 4G deployment gaining pace in India, domestic handset maker Micromax today said it will beef up its portfolio of LTE-enabled handsets, with plans to add five new smartphones in the next 2-3 months.

Micromax currently has two 4G-enabled devices in its portfolio, priced above Rs 12,000 (USD 200).

"There is a lot of interest around 4G. We will offer customers the features they look for at affordable prices. We plan to add five new 4G devices in the next 2-3 months across price points," Micromax Chief Marketing Officer Shubhajit Sen told PTI.

Increasingly, handset makers are introducing smartphones that support 4G, which allows users to access high-speed Internet.

Currently, players such as Airtel and Aircel offer 4G services in India while Reliance Jio has a pan-India licence plans to launch its services soon.

According to a CMR report, over one million 4G devices, including smartphones, tablets and data cards were shipped to the Indian market in the December 2014 quarter.

Rivals like Lenovo, Asus, Samsung and Xiaomi already have a line-up of 4G devices. Micromax's online-only brand Yu has two devices in its kitty, with both of them supporting LTE.

LTE is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals.

The company today launched a new 3G handset -- Canvas Xpress 2 -- priced at Rs 5,999, exclusively with e-commerce firm Flipkart.

Positioned as India's most affordable octacore smartphone, the new device features 5-inch display, 1.4 GHz processor, 13 MP rear and 2 MP front camera and 2,500 mAh battery.

The handset will be available on a flash sale model from August 4 onwards.

Flipkart VP Retail Amitesh Jha said: "About 40-45 per cent of the handsets on our platform are 4G-enabled. As per our estimates, Flipkart has 55 per cent of 4G handset market share."