Reliance Communications to Sell Apple iPhone 5S, 5C in India from Nov 1
By R. Jai Krishna
NEW DELHI--Reliance Communications Ltd. (532712.BY), India's third-largest telecom company by users, will start selling Apple Inc.'s(AAPL) latest smartphones, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, from Nov. 1, the company said in a statement.
The iPhone 5C is likely to be sold from 41,900 rupees ($690) per unit and the iPhone 5S from INR53,500.
The latest and cheaper versions of the iPhone, which were unveiled by the Cupertino, Calif. company early September, are seen as competing with products from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. in emerging markets.
Apple's revenue in India in the financial year ending March 2013 jumped more than fivefold to INR12.93 billion, helped by a change in distribution and sales strategy, including trade-in and monthly installment offers, according to trade publication Voice and Data.
"The company now enjoys a 3.6% market share in India with the smallest number of handset models in its portfolio," the magazine said. Samsung led with a 31.5% market share followed by Nokia Corp. at 27.2%, it added.
The launch comes at a time Indian cellphone operators concentrate on offering smartphones that allow users to listen to music, watch videos and browse the Internet, as fierce competition in voice call tariffs hurts profitability.
The launch also comes ahead of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, when employees receive annual bonuses, leaves them with extra cash to buy phones to cars.
Write to R. Jai Krishna at krishna.jai@wsj.com
