Mobile Phones

Increasing shortage of memory chips expected to push up its price by another 40 per cent

An app nobody noticed, until everyone did. Political heat and curiosity pushed it to the top in downloads. How long before the slide?

The Ministry of Communications said that given the surge in voluntary downloads of Sanchar Saathi, pre-installation of the app will not be mandatory for manufacturers

In fact, September this year saw a jump not just over the same month last year but across last three years when India averaged approximately $900 million each year in the month since 2022-23 (FY23)

Smartphone manufacturers had been seeking a reduction in GST on mobile phones from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, arguing that this would boost demand

Domestic electronics contract manufacturer Dixon Technologies has formed a Rs 370 crore joint venture for display modules manufacturing with Chinese company HKC Overseas. The Dixon Technologies-HKC Overseas joint venture is for manufacturing and selling of LCD and TFT-LCD modules that are used in electronic devices like TV, mobile phones etc for display, a regulatory filing said on Saturday. "Dixon Technologies (India) Ltd has entered into a Term Sheet with HKC Corporation Ltd to form a joint venture for manufacturing of Liquid Crystal Modules, thin film transistor liquid crystal display modules, assembly of end products such as smartphones, TVs, monitors and auto displays and selling HKC branded end products in India," the filing said. HKC Overseas Ltd will acquire 26 per cent stake in Dixon Display Technologies Pvt Ltd (DDTPL) for USD 10.998 million, about Rs 95.5 crore and Dixon will acquire 74 per cent stake in the JV for USD 31.3 million, about Rs 274 crore in two tranches. "T

A joint study by the genetics research unit of Calcutta University's department of zoology and the Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IRM), Kolkata, has found that keeping mobile phones in trouser pockets and keeping laptops on laps for long hours may significantly increase the risk of male infertility and even impotence. The five-year study, launched in 2019, was led by Professor Sujay Ghosh (Calcutta University), with support from Dr Ratna Chattopadhyay (IRM), Dr Samudra Pal (CU), Dr Paranb Paladhi (IRM), and Dr Saurav Dutta (CU). A copy of the findings was made available to PTI on Wednesday. "Male patients who visited IRM for infertility treatment were invited to participate in the study. We excluded cases involving diagnosed female infertility and obstructive male infertility (caused by anatomical defects). The study focused exclusively on cases of idiopathic male infertility (infertility of unknown origin), specifically those with azoospermia (absence of sperm in semen) or ...

Apple Inc, through its iPhones, accounted for two-thirds of India's smartphone exports during the period under review, underscoring the impact of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme

This increase has been led by the top-end iPhone 16 Pro series (Pro and Pro Max), which was initially imported but is now being assembled in India by Foxconn

The 88-year-old designer, author of books like The Design of Everyday Things, Emotional Design, Design for a Better World was in India as advisor to BITS Design School, Mumbai, for a three-city tour

New requirements for feature phones to support 'auto readout' of emergency messages will increase their cost due to the need for more memory

In a bid to curb cyber crimes in Mewat region, Rajasthan Police has blocked 2.36 lakh suspicious SIMs and 2.29 lakh mobile handsets, officials said on Monday. In the last two months, police have recovered more than 5,000 stolen and lost mobiles and returned them to their owners, a statement by the police said. According to the statement, "Operation Antivirus" is being run in coordination with the Government of India and the Centre's department of telecommunications. Director General of Police (Cyber ?Crime) Hemant Priyadarshi said police have identified cyber criminals based on their records in the 'Operation Antivirus' database and taken effective action against them. Police have identified around 2.36 lakh suspicious SIMs and around 2.29 lakh mobile handsets with suspicious IMEI and got them blocked by contacting the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, due to which cyber crime has decreased drastically in the Mewat region, the DGP said. IMEI is a 15-digit numb

The final analysis included 63 studies from 1994-2022, assessed by 11 investigators from 10 countries, including the Australian government's radiation protection authority

Although this segment currently makes up just one per cent of the overall market, it is growing faster than other categories

Sharpest price is for iPhone SE assembled in India; other models become cheaper too

Mobile phone and specified components makers under the PLI scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing have cumulatively invested Rs 8,282 crore till June 2024, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada in a written reply to Lok Sabha said that a total of 32 companies were approved with committed investment of Rs 11,324 crore and a projected production target of Rs 10.7 lakh crore under the PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. He said that out of 32 companies approved under the scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing, seven are Greenfield companies and 25 are Brownfield companies. "Of the cumulative investment of INR 8,282 crore made under the scheme till June 30, 2024, the cumulative investment made by Greenfield companies is Rs 3,136 crore and the cumulative investment made by Brownfield companies is Rs 5,146 crore," Prasada said. The companies under the scheme had made

Reduction in BCD on these items was a major demand from the electronics manufacturing bodies

Economic think tank GTRI on Monday urged the government to cut import duty on smartphone components in the Budget as it could lead to an increase in superficial assembly plants that rely heavily on imported parts. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2024-25 tomorrow. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the current schemes and tariff structure resulted in great success, and the current framework is also ensuring duty-free imports of components for exports. "Do not cut import duty on smartphone components in this Budget. Removing tariffs could lead to an increase in superficial assembly plants that rely heavily on imported parts, contributing little to the local economy. "Imported components and subassemblies account for up to 90 per cent of the bill of material value for an India-made phones," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. Currently, import tariffs on the product is 20 per cent while duty on components range between 0 and 20 per c

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said mobile phone penetration in the country stands at 70-80 per cent of citizens and some 120 crore devices are currently in use. The priority now is to increase the scope of the 4G network in the country, Scindia told reporters. For the first time, India has created a 4G stack with indigenous technology and based on it efforts are being made to take the coverage to 100 percent, Scindia added. Scindia, who is also Union minister for Development of North Eastern Region, said he will be tour Assam and Meghalaya from Friday. "We will formulate a strategy for development of the north-east states based on their strengths and capabilities. For this, decisions will be taken after meeting the concerned state governments," he informed. Scindia evaded a direct reply to a query on how the Centre would deal with the ethic strife in Manipur, only saying he would fulfil his responsibility for the development of the north east. "It

India has absorbed nearly 50 per cent of the decline in mobile phone exports from China and Vietnam, although China remains the leading exporter of mobile phones