Lava launches 4G phone with VoLTE facility

Lava International today launched a 4G enabled device that has the features to support Voice over LTE (VoLTE) facility. Though no operators in the country is currently providing the facility, the phone maker is banking upon Reliance Jio which has announced to roll on the service after necessary approvals.

"This phone supports VoLTE facility. Once the services are launched, the consumer need to download a software to make calls over LTE network," said Adarsh Srivastava, product manager with Lava at the device launching event here.

The mobile is primarily designed for camera lovers and costs Rs 10,399. The handset is equipped with a blue glass that , the company claims, filters infrared lights for better picture quality.

Reliance Jio, which is expected to launch 4G services across all 22 circles in the country by end of this year, has said it was in the process to obtain regulatory approval to launch the VoLTE facility. This feature enables users to make calls by using the high speed internet instead of traditional call facility using circle switching method and hence, is cheaper.

Lava is the only Indian smartphone manufacturer to have announced to add this facility. Its Indian competitors Micromax and Intex have already launched 4G phones minus the feature. Globally, a limited number of handset makers are providing such facility.

All global and local smartphone makers have announced plans to launch 4G enabled phone in India even as only one operator-Airtel has launched the service. Lava said it is expecting demand for 4G will grow significantly in next six months.

"By end of this fiscal, at least three operators would be providing 4G services in their areas. Also, we expect the consumer adoption of 4G phones to increase significantly in next couple of quarters as operators are not charging different rates for 4G data," said Navin Chawla, senior vice president and product heads of Lava.

The third biggest Indian mobile handset maker after Micromax and Intex said it has plans to launch phones every quarter to cater to different consumer needs, adding the demand for 4G phones would be initially in major cities.

"Since the data consumption is higher in large cities, and depending upon the network availability, the demand for such phones would be felt more in bigger cities and it will continue to grow gradually," said Chawla.

The company is continuously ramping up its production facility, he said, without elaborating the expansion plans.