With 5G spectrum auction set to start by July end, India is likely to have 70-80 million 5G smartphones by the end of 2022.
While market research firm IDC has predicted that nearly half of the devices shipped in India this year will support 5G, Counterpoint Research estimated that just less than 40 per cent of the overall smartphone shipments in the country will support the next-gen technology, reports Economic Times.
According to Counterpoint, 5G smartphones constituted 29 per cent of the total smartphone shipments at the end of March.
The uptick in shipments of 5G smartphones in India comes as the government is set to auction 5G spectrum starting late July, with services expected to start rolling out by end of the year.
In a bid to cater to a larger consumer segment, the smartphone makers are trying to bring down the average selling prices (ASP) of 5G phones to Rs 10,000-15,000 range by the end of the year. At present, the ASP of the 5G smartphones is around Rs 32,000.
However, the high cost of 5G chipsets and other components amid global supply chain woes mean that consumers would need to settle for lesser features in the 5G smartphones with Rs 10,000-15,000 ASPs.