Apple excited to be a part of 4G investments in India: Cook

The Dollar Business Bureau

Making a statement in Apple’s fourth quarter earnings call on 25^th Oct, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “Looking ahead, we're seeing some very exciting developments in India. Reliance Jio is rolling out a first of its kind all-IP network in India with 4G coverage in 18,000 cities and 200,000 villages across the country.”

Apple is partnering with Reliance Jio which is offering a year of free service to new purchasers of iPhones to ensure that the company’s sales remain upbeat on the 4G network. Cook said, “Our iPhone sales in India were up over 50 per cent in fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year, and we believe we're just beginning to scratch the surface of this large and growing market opportunity.” 

Though the sales of Apple smartphones have not been upto the expectations, the CEO is excited about the enormous investments being made in high-speed telecom networks in the country, which he said could turn around the sales Apple’s smartphones. Remarking on the same he said, “But this year or the next year, there are enormous investments going in on 4G and we couldn't be more excited about that because it really takes a great network working with iPhone to produce that great experience for people. And so I see a lot of the factors moving in the right direction there.”

When posed with the question if India could be the next big destination as China for Apple, Cook replied that what interests him is the burgeoning numbers that will move into the middle class category in the next decade who will want a smartphone. He also mentioned the ‘very, very young population’ of India that holds tremendous opportunities and advantages in the near future. “What is important for Apple in India is that there are going to be a lot of people in the middle class who will "really want a smartphone, and I think we can compete well for some percentage of those. And given our starting point, even though we've been growing a lot, there is a lot of headroom there in our mind, and so we are working very hard to realise that opportunity," he said.