Local smartphone makers don’t see anti-China tailwind

Indian smartphone makers are not too hopeful over prospects of a reversal in fortunes due to the current anti-Chinese sentiments triggered by the Sino-India border tension, insisting that low-cost funding is the need of the hour to take on foreign rivals. There have been calls for boycott of Chinese products from several quarters following the Ladakh clash that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead.

"The early trends are exciting. But, Indian handset makers need low-cost funds to counter the deep-pocketed Chinese companies," Executive Director of the Jaina Group, which owns the 'Karbonn' brand, Abhishek Garg, told PTI.

Proper intervention by the government can bring back the fortunes of Indian brands, he said.

Most Indian smartphone makers were relegated following the entry of Chinese companies in the last few years, while others turned into OEM suppliers for the overseas firms, industry experts said.

Lava International Ltd, another Indian company, said the anger among people against China and its products will not translate into more business for the firm. "It is more of a responsibility for the country. A responsibility to grow ourselves and build such skills and capabilities that could enable us to compete in the China market as well.

"These short-term emotions will die down quickly; finally, we have to beat our competition by delivering products, which provide a much better proposition than our competitors," said Hari Om Rai, one of the founders and managing director of the company.

Published on June 22, 2020

A letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

The coronavirus crisis has changed the world completely in the last few months. All of us have been locked into our homes, economic activity has come to a near standstill. Everyone has been impacted.

Including your favourite business and financial newspaper. Our printing and distribution chains have been severely disrupted across the country, leaving readers without access to newspapers. Newspaper delivery agents have also been unable to service their customers because of multiple restrictions.

In these difficult times, we, at BusinessLine have been working continuously every day so that you are informed about all the developments – whether on the pandemic, on policy responses, or the impact on the world of business and finance. Our team has been working round the clock to keep track of developments so that you – the reader – gets accurate information and actionable insights so that you can protect your jobs, businesses, finances and investments.

We are trying our best to ensure the newspaper reaches your hands every day. We have also ensured that even if your paper is not delivered, you can access BusinessLine in the e-paper format – just as it appears in print. Our website and apps too, are updated every minute, so that you can access the information you want anywhere, anytime.

But all this comes at a heavy cost. As you are aware, the lockdowns have wiped out almost all our entire revenue stream. Sustaining our quality journalism has become extremely challenging. That we have managed so far is thanks to your support. I thank all our subscribers – print and digital – for your support.

I appeal to all or readers to help us navigate these challenging times and help sustain one of the truly independent and credible voices in the world of Indian journalism. Doing so is easy. You can help us enormously simply by subscribing to our digital or e-paper editions. We offer several affordable subscription plans for our website, which includes Portfolio, our investment advisory section that offers rich investment advice from our highly qualified, in-house Research Bureau, the only such team in the Indian newspaper industry.

A little help from you can make a huge difference to the cause of quality journalism!

Support Quality Journalism

Don't Boycott China Phones | Tamil | UV speaks