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When you move up the technology value chain, what is it that you expect from your mobile phone, which has become an inevitable asset of your life. It is a mini storage of all the data you need, right from professional assistance to personal engagements to leisure enhancements.

A mobile handset has graduated from the fundamental role of voice communications and has emerged as a convergence and lifestyle support device. The Indian handset market has undergone a sea change when it comes to telecommunications. It has created a paradigm shift in the recent past, and this can be seen from the fact that India's telecom subscriber base touching record highs of about 600 mn and touted to reach 770 mn mobile subscribers by 2013. In fact, the handset market in India is Rs 40,000 crore and would rise to Rs 50,000 crore by 2011.

Multiple Choice
With changing trends, the Indian handset industry is undergoing a complete transformation with classy multimedia featured enabled handsets being introduced to the technological aficionados. Nowadays, manufacturers are offering handsets in different stylish looks and design patterns with a modern TFT capacitive screen having high-resolution and touchscreen display. These multimedia phones vary in their price range as they are available at an affordable price and also at an uphill price, depending upon the users' choice of indulging in which category. Multimedia cell phones bring all media on the fingertips. Combining Internet access, email, PC syncing, document viewing, a camera, and (of course) a music and video player; multimedia phones can handle it all. Moreover they are ease to use too, light weighted slim and sleek and comes with QWERTY keys.

The youth segment has been highly beneficial with the advent of these high-end smartphones, since they are more acceptable to latest technologies and applications.

For India's young and tech savvy consumers, multimedia phones are an extension of self and expression of self. The youth demand the features and capabilities that allow complete personalization. However, due to its extensive and aggressive features, it is highly accessed by business professionals too as it is easy for data storage and its increasing visibility in terms of Internet usage.

3G and Multimedia
Multimedia features cannot flourish without certain advancements including enhanced graphics and user interface technologies, OpenGL ES 2.0 API support, higher performing application processors, open standards, increased security, enhanced battery consumption management and other technologies that complement the multimedia experience. In fact, 3G is going to change the face of telecommunications in the country.

With the onset of 3G, companies are already in their highs to prepare their armory with high-end smartphones. Applications such as web browsing, mobile banking, mobile games, videos, conferencing, e-commerce and access to other data services will be ease of use to general consumers and will reach across boundaries. These applications have always been a hit among the developed countries, and India being a potential market, will see a huge growth in the number of applications downloaded. As stated by Gartner, revenue worth $4.2 bn was produced by the app stores, which are expected to grow further to $29.5 bn by 2013. The Indian handset manufacturers are preparing in a big way to excite their consumers with high-end smartphones and 3G phones. They are spending huge investments on their research and product development.

With the rising competition among the handset manufacturers, experts and analysts are expecting a fall in prices of high-end smartphones and 3G phones. Currently, in India, it is expected that there would be around 15-20% subscribers who have a 3G handset and that too in tier-1 cities. According to a survey of Angel Broking, the prices of high-end smartphones will come down drastically after the introduction of 3G. Currently, the penetration of 3G handsets in India is just 1%. It will take at least two to three years for 3G mobile services to pick up significantly.

Customers currently using 2G services will definitely move up to 3G services in large numbers. Curiosity of 3G services among the Indians will show a direct impact on the billing price of the individuals which will definitely increase because of high usage of 3G services; which telecom operators would be providing at a higher cost.

In fact, there will be a significant growth in the VAS industry too. With the mobile VAS market pegged at around $45 bn, 3G will add on the numbers anytime soon. It would make multimedia available, so that mobile advertising can grow with increased data usage on the handset directly targeting individuals. The increase of function-rich smartphones in the market with larger screen size, better web browsing capabilities and longer battery life, combined with 'all you can eat' data packages is driving the growth of mobile Internet and gaming, making it a ready channel to connect with customers.

The Future
It's evident today, and as India continues its economic expansion, the mobile multimedia popularity will grow across generations. In India's youth market, we will see growing demand for mobile multimedia, fueled by content and advanced handset capabilities. The possibilities are endless, and the evolution is just beginning.

With more and more brands jumping to this bandwagon of multimedia phones, there is going to be a street fight for bringing the best consumer savvy multimedia handset into the limelight. In fact, the multimedia phones will be stealing the limelight in the gadgets front fueled by content and advanced handset capabilities. However, the possibilities are endless, as this is just the beginning of a new technological revolution, sweeping away consumers to an altogether different world of communications. Multimedia phones will be the new doorway to the real world of telecommunications in the recent future.

Vaibhav Shastri
The author is CEO, Zen Mobile
vadmail@cybermedia.co.in