ICEA plans to replace all feature phones with smartphones by the year 2022

by Shatakshi Gupta

On our way to the digital advancement, a new announcement came from Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) that, mobile phone companies are coming together to work on a plan of replacing the feature phones which are mainly used by the lower strata in the country with smartphones.  The information in this regard came on Thursday by a member of ICEA, the apex organization of the mobile phone industry in India. Hari Om Rai, chairman and managing director of Lava International, said that it would take approximately two more months for them to prepare a plan of extending the smartphones to the people who are currently using feature phones.

While addressing a webinar of the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) he made these informations out. During this time a report was also released on the role of smartphones in governance operations.  Rai said, “We are working on a plan to replace all feature phones in the country with smartphones.  This will not only bring changes in the country from that end, but it will also ensure the delivery of the app ecosystem and the original software. “

Also read: Nokia is preparing to launch a low budget Smartphone

During the webinar, Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Ajay Prakash Sahni asked mobile phone manufacturers to pay attention to the software used in mobile phones.  He said that the country should also start working on the software used in smartphones.

 Sahani said, “An equally big challenge (smartphones instead of feature phones) is also about the software part of the mobile phone such as the operating system and the apps used daily.  We have the ability to create a new app.  Today any kind of technology can be worked on in India. “

He said that the industry should also shift their focus on developing software that may also include Indian DNA.  Sahni while releasing this report said that the country is moving towards digitization.  Various government services are being made available to the citizens through digital medium.  The government is providing civic amenities through more than 300 apps.  ICEA has prepared this report in collaboration with KPMG.  As per this report, estimations had been made that a total of 82.9 million smartphones are to be replaced in the country by the year 2022.  This is equivalent to about 60 percent of the country’s population.