India has surpassed the US to become the world's second-largest market for 5G handsets, following China, according to a report. Global 5G handset shipments increased by 20 percent in the first half of 2024, as per Counterpoint Research. Apple led the global 5G handset shipments, accounting for over 25 percent of the market share, driven by strong shipments of the iPhone 15 series and 14 series.
The report states that 5G handset shipments have been steadily growing, especially in emerging markets, due to the increased availability of 5G handsets in the budget segment. India's rise as the second-largest 5G handset market was attributed to strong shipments from Xiaomi, vivo, Samsung, and other brands in the budget segment.
Samsung secured the second position by capturing over 21 percent of the market share with its Galaxy A series and S24 series. Both Apple and Samsung claimed five spots each in the top 10 list for 5G models in the first half of 2024, with Apple taking the top four spots.
Emerging markets, including Asia-Pacific, witnessed notable growth in 5G handset shipments. The increase in availability of 5G handsets in lower price segments along with the expansion of 5G networks has fueled this trend, particularly in Asia-Pacific, where it accounted for 63 percent of global net adds and commanded a 58 percent 5G shipment share. Additionally, Europe and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions also saw double-digit growth in 5G handset shipments.
The research director, Tarun Pathak, emphasised that as the availability of 5G handsets increases and 5G networks expand, this trend is expected to continue growing.
Meanwhile, the government-run e-commerce platform, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), is reportedly processing more than 12 million orders every month, with over 600,000 active sellers on the network. ONDC was awarded the prestigious gold award in the 'application of emerging technologies for providing citizen-centric services' category at the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) event held on Thursday.
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Inputs from IANS
