◼ TECHNOLOGY Bloomberg Businessweek November 9, 202034
● India’s smartphone shoppers will be spoiled forchoicethisfestiveseasonAn Epic Phone-a-Thon
sectors,andit’sbeena magnetforinvestors,
accordingtotheCenterforGlobalDevelopment.
Inthelatestmajorinvestment,StripeInc.,theU.S.
payment-servicesgiant,agreedinOctobertopay
$200milliontoacquireLagos-basedPaystackto
jump-startexpansioninAfrica.
Although tech companies fear the potential
withdrawal of international investors because of
the protests, many are focusing on using their skills
to help those harmed by the unrest. Applications
and websites have been developed to document
police brutalities, and some startups are working
on a program that will block prosecuted officers
from using platforms created by Nigerian develop-
ers, according to TechCircle’s Nwoye.Citizens’ Gavel, a Lagos-based group that
provideslegalrepresentationforvictimsofpolice
brutality, is also developing software to high-
light good police officers and to shame bad ones,
founder Nelson Olanipekun says. Its work comes as
a Nigerian judicial panel was appointed to identify
gunmen in military uniforms who fired on demon-
strators. “When you celebrate officers that are doing
well, it is expected that they would also influence
the system positively,” Olanipekun says. “At pres-
ent, there is no encouragement for doing good in
thepoliceforce.”�TopeAlakeandRuthOlurounbiTHEBOTTOMLINE Nigeria’sbuddingtechsector,whichdrew
$122million in investment last year, is fighting back against alleged
corruption and police brutality by taking part in nationwide protests.theU.S.’s82%,accordingtodatafromthe 2020
NewzooGlobalMobileMarketreport—suggesting
significant growth potential. “India offers a large
and untapped opportunity for smartphone com-
panies,” Bloomberg Intelligence technology ana-
lysts Matthew Kanterman and Nathan Naidu said
in a note to clients last month. The combination of
“cheap data packages, recent 4G rollout, develop-
ment of diverse local content, and digital payments
may further boost the country’s smartphone users.”
Sales leader Samsung, runner-up Xiaomi, and
others hope to catch the recovery in Indian con-
sumption since the initial Covid-19 lockdown, one
that’s already driven an 8% rise in third-quarter
phone shipments, according to market researcher
Canalys. The increase marks a stark reversal from
a 51% plummet in the previous three months, when
the lockdown closed shops and disrupted supply
chains. Some of the pent-up demand has been fed
by growth in the WhatsApp messaging service and
content streaming via YouTube. At the same time,
students and employees have learned to rely on
mobile devices for study and work.
“This year’s going to be different going by the
velocity of launches,” says Asim Warsi, senior vice
president of Samsung’s Indian unit. The com-
pany has introduced a dozen new models in the
runup to Diwali. The cheapest is a M01 Core atBrands including Apple and Huawei are releasing
almost a hundred smartphone models ahead of
India’s Diwali shopping bonanza, an unprecedented
rollout for companies looking to capture a bigger
chunk of the world’s second-largest mobile market.
More than a dozen foreign and local smart-
phone makers will vie for attention around the
Hindu Festival of Lights on Nov. 14, which ush-
ers in an annual gifting spree that can make an
American Christmas seem subdued. South Korea’s
Samsung Electronics Co. introduced twice its
usual number of devices, while Cupertino, Calif.-
based Apple Inc. showcased its smaller and more
affordable iPhone 12 mini. Even Shenzhen-based
Huawei Technologies Inc. pulled out the stops
with three new designs, despite renewed Indian-
Chinese military tensions over their contested
border.(ThedisputeledIndiantraderstocall
fora boycottofChinesegoods.)Thelineupalso
includesphonescustom-designed for the Indian
market, geared toward everything from gaming to
studying. There have even been zany promos like
Xiaomi Corp. India chief Manu Jain starring in a
rap video and mobile stores on wheels roaming
the countryside.
India’s smartphone penetration rate, which
is the share of the population that uses a phone,
is about 32%, compared with 61% in China and“This year’s
going to be
different going
by the velocity
of launches”