Indus OS, the second most used OS in India after Android, is expecting a five-fold growth in data traffic by calendar year 2016, on the back of the Reliance Jio launch.
Indus OS users are reportedly consuming 956 MB (3G data) on their smartphones per month, which is 30 per cent more than the Indian average of 735 MB of 3G data (as per Counterpoint Research), including Stock Android. This is due to the OS’ simplicity, accessibility and regional language content available on its app marketplace - App Baazar, the company said in a statement.
And with the introduction of 4G LTE and ultra-low data prices on account of Reliance Jio, Indus OS expects Indian data usage to surge five times.
“The simplicity, regional language technology and regional content provided by Indus OS are empowering the nation to break digital barriers and embrace the Internet. With more than 90 per cent of the Indian population being non-English speaking, the arrival of Reliance Jio translates into a big opportunity for Indians to experience the power of the Internet, and for Indus OS to further our reach,” said Rakesh Deshmukh, co-founder and CEO at Indus OS.
The average time spent per day by Indians on Indus OS smartphones is 3 hours compared with 4.7 hours in the US. With the plethora of content provided by Jio Apps, this is expected to rise to over 4 hours. Also, media consumption on Indus OS smartphones is expected to double (over 1 hour) by the end of the year.
Currently, the highest contribution is attributed to the consumption of media (20 per cent), followed by messaging (14 per cent), browser (8 per cent) and games (7 per cent).
India’s current mobile data usage is still one-third of the global average of 957 MB, which is set to change with the Reliance Jio network offering the lowest data prices in the world.
With Jio’s entry, India is now expected to break the 1GB per month usage barrier soon and be amongst the top 10 mobile data consumers in the world by 2020. With data prices falling to ultra-low levels, Indus OS expects an immediate five-fold increase of data usage on Indus OS smartphones with Jio services by the end of the year.
“India is at the cusp of a digital revolution with only a third of the current potential mobile phone user base having smartphones. The proliferation of high speed LTE networks in India will change the way users consume data going forward. 4G capable smartphones and 4G networks together will shape the user behaviour in consuming more digital content on their devices,” said Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research.
Indus OS is currently available across Micromax, Celkon and Swipe, and a total of over 40 smartphone models. The company is in advanced talks with other leading domestic and international smartphone brands for similar partnerships and plans to reach 100 million in the next three years.