Riding the 4G wave: Qualcomm India to supply carrier aggregation support technology

MUMBAI: More 4G devices are coming to the market than 3G devices, suggesting customers may leapfrog from 2G to 4G technology, said Sunil Lalvani, president, Qualcomm India. The company has carrier aggregation support technology that it is looking to supply to mobile makers like Micromax and Samsung, he said. Reliance Jio, the Mukesh Ambani company that is yet to commercially launch services, is trying to aggregate airwaves in the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands, but most phones don't support it.

Increase in 4G shipments has resulted in a narrowing of price difference between 3G and 4G devices, leading customers to buy 4G-enabled mobile handsets though there are limited services on that platform.

"You get a good 4G phone at sub Rs 5,000. 4G devices in India outsold 3G devices and one key catalyst is the 4G delta with 3G is lowering," Lalvani told ET.

Phones in the mid-tier segment, which have advanced features but aren't priced for the luxury segment, are picking up, reflected in Micromax and competing brands getting cuttingedge Snapdragon chipsets for phones to be launched soon.

Qualcomm has two carrier aggregation solutions— one that can be plugged into existing chipsets and the other inbuilt.

Both have an active market, Lalvani said.The company also has a venture capital arm that invested recently in language translation software company Reverie and is looking at several targets in the financial inclusion space, Lalvani said.