Mobile phone demand won’t fall sharply in India: ICEA

While the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to production loss of an estimated over ₹15,000 crore for the Indian handset manufacturing industry, there will be no sharp decline in demand for mobile phones in a post-lockdown scenario, predicts industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA).

The extension of the lockdown will “obviously” increase the loss for handset manufacturers, but this period has also helped people realise the value of mobile phones, said Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA.

However, revenues of smartphone makers will continue to take a hit as the government on Sunday decided not to open e-commerce channels for the sales of non-essential items like mobile phones from Monday as earlier announced.