Indian telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has tested Find 7, the first 4G LTE smartphone from OPPO India.
Currently, Bharti Airtel, the only Indian telecom operator to have a 4G network on TD-LTE technology in the country, is in the process of expanding its broadband Internet network.
Recently, Bharti Airtel launched smartphones from LG and Apple to support voice services along with offering data on TD-LTE network. Airtel will also launch 4G on FD-LTE network later.
The other telecom player to launch 4G – both on TD-LTE and FD-LTE technology – will be Reliance Jio Infocomm. Reliance Jio is planning to launch 4G this year after bagging the BWA spectrum in 2010. It made headlines two weeks back when Reliance announced plans to make more investment in media company TV 18 group.
It is believed that Reliance Jio Infocomm could be sourcing OPPO 4G smartphones.
Adding cost effective 4G handsets is a big challenge for telecoms in India. Smartphones from Apple and LG are costly and this factor, among other issues, is impacting the growth of 4G penetration across the country. The Narendra Modi led BJP government recently said one of the focus areas would be to build a broadband network in India.
The Find 7 is priced at Rs 37,990, the 4G smartphone announced in Delhi on Monday, and the Find 7a is priced at Rs 31,990 in India. This indicates that Indian 4G smartphone users need to wait for some more time for experimenting budget 4G phones.
Last month, chip vendor Qualcomm in association with LG and Bharti Airtel announced 4G experience zone in Bangalore to promote LTE culture in the country.
OPPO’s smart devices are available in 12 major cities and regions of India – New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kolkata, Pune and Lucknow.
Recently, OPPO announced plans for an aggressive sales and service network expansion in India with a target of over 200 service centers in the next one year. OPPO is targeting a mix of at least 10 products that cover the price range from below Rs 10,000 to around Rs 40,000 this year.
In Pix: Tom Lu, CEO and Steven Shi Feng, general manager of OPPO Mobiles India at the launch of Find 7
