Low Cost Handset Dominates The Indian Rural MarketMediaTek India, a well known semiconductor company has recently carried out a survey with shopkeepers and mobile phone users to gauge the latest trends in this space.

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The study reveals that India is still a low cost phone destination. About 50% of the users interviewed still tend to buy a handset in the Rs.1500 – Rs. 2000 range with basic functionalities.

This is similar to an earlier survey carried out by MediaTek in rural India, where 55% of the rural users too buy a low cost phone based on the recommendations of peers, friends, family etc.

The survey was carried out over a sample size of 1000 people in Metros and about 300 shopkeepers. It consisted of a mixed group of people belonging to the middle and low income groups including young people and students.

Metro Shopkeeper Suvery Report:


However, some of the usage habits of users living in metro cities are changing, and this is in sharp contrast to people living in villages and other rural areas. While a rural person would prefer having a phone with a longer battery life, thanks to longer power cuts, one living in an urban setup or in a metro city would want a better looking phone which is high on features.

Speaking about the two studies Mr. Arun Gupta, Director-Business Development, MediaTek India Technology said, “The study was aimed at identifying the latest trends in mobile buying and how does the consumer have a say in such changes. Consumers are increasingly being aware of the latest models in the market and demand for more features and better looking handsets at a relatively lesser price.”