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Powering Mobiles and Smart Devices

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www.mobilityindia.com 15Mobility April 2014

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The number of electronics

applications that have become

portable in the last 20 years has

risen dramatically with the evolution

of battery technologies.

The portable power battery

market has grown significantly during

this same timeframe across a variety of

consumer and industrial application

areas. While this sector was initially

constrained by supply-side limitations,

the market has matured and is showing

steady growth.

A report from Pike Research

forecasts that the portable power sector

will continue expanding at a healthy

rate over the next few years, rising

from $25.3 billion in global revenues

in 2012 to $30.5 billion by 2015.

TEJAS SETHDirector, Asia Powercom

The cleantech market intelligence

firm estimates that portable power

represents 55% of the global battery

industry, with the stationary and

motive battery sectors accounting

for the balance of the market. The

firm’s analysis indicates that portable

power’s compound annual growth

rate (CAGR) of 8.5% will outpace

growth in the other two sectors.

Advanced battery technologies

hold the potential to have a major

impact on how portable devices are

used in a variety of consumer and

industrial markets. However, batteries

are governed and constrained by

a set of electrochemical laws that

prevent them from achieving the

kinds of advancements we have

seen in the electronics industry.

There is no Moore’s Law for battery

technology, but a large number of

innovators are actively seeking ways to

significantly improve the performance

of batteries.

Pike Research forecasts that the

largest market growth will continue

to be in batteries for laptop computers

and mobile phones, driven largely by

ongoing increases in unit shipments.

Other major growth categories will

include portable navigation, military

applications, medical devices, power

tools, and instrumentation/sensing.

A few application segments, such as

batteries for portable AV/music and

digital photography, will experience

flat to negative growth between 2010

and 2015.

Power Bank Strategy in India

According to Rajesh Doshi,

Director - Purchase & Marketing,

Topnotch Infortronix India, the

company always looking forward to

engaging with its set of customers in

interesting ways and power bank is

surely an emerging segment.

“We always strive hard to offer

the consumers quality products at

reasonable price. We have a range

of power banks in Zebronics called

Power Grid. Our products in this

range are very competitively priced

and come with one year warranty,

so one can buy and use them with

peace of mind. Mobiles and tablets are

very fast growing market segments.

As these mobile devices gets more

processing power and better displays,

the battery requirement also goes

up. There is lots of scope for power

banks, in this segment. We are very

confident of capturing a good portion

of this market with good quality VFM

products,” he adds on.

According to Sudip De, Vice

President, ADATA Technology India,

“ADATA India’ main product line

being storage, recently we forayed into

mobile power segment with 2 new

products. One a mobile power bank

ADATA PV100 and second a wireless

charger for mobile phone supporting

wireless charging model CE700. With

these 2 news products, we are going

full throttle with our distribution

network in creating awareness on

the products, its USPs, technological

benefits over the competitive products

to the front ending sales team and

channel partners alike. Apart from our

distribution setup, we are also working

very closely with a chosen set of

partners have specialization in mobile

segment to create awareness amongst

the mobile channel partners. On the

other front, we are also working along

with leading ecommerce portals to

create awareness amongst the end

users directly,” he informs.

As per the v iews of Rajan Sharma, VP Sales – DIGILITE, “We have recently launched DIGILITE powerbank series with 3 models with 5200mAH & 6600mAH power. Our products come with Samsung battery, LED charging indicators, LED torch, overcharge short circuit protection & over Discharge Protection. We are looking customers who are quality conscious & need higher batter back-up,” he adds on.

He is quick to add that as more

and more people carry portable

electronic devices like - laptops,

phones, smartphones, tablet PC,

digital cameras, camcorders etc to

enjoy the benefit technology brings

us the power bank requirements

are shooting up. “We expect market

size to be almost equal to atleast

50% of current MID,Smartphone

market. We are working closely

with our IT & TELECOM channel

across India through our distribution

partners Ingram Micro, Redington

& Supertron Electronics. With their

reach & consistent business in IT as

well as Telecom channel in selling

MID products from SAMSUNG,

APPLE,DIGITAB etc, we have opened

up excellent opportunity of customers

& users to experience our DIGILITE

Powerbanks,” he explains.

According to Sundeep Popli, COO

at LAPCARE, the company started

power banks about six months ago

and it will be its prime focus product

for the coming future.

“We have introduced complete

range starting from 2200 mAh to

15600 mAh. Currently we have been

selling power banks through our

channel partners across the country

but going forward our strategy for

power bank is to maximize our

presence in Multi brand outlets and

Mobile segment. Our key strategy

would be to leverage our strength of

Lapcare brand is the battery &

adaptor segment. As Smartphones

and mobile devices are gaining more

popularity in India, there is also

increased demand for the mobile

accessories. According to industry

estimates, the size of the market for

mobile accessories is about 1,500

crore. Mobile power banks are making

their way into the ‘a must have’ among

the most popular accessories like

“As the market is increasing and in demand, it is very diffi cult to judge how big the market will be. But we think there is more than 50% connect ratio for all small phones being sold. The competition is from all angles. It varies from branded ones to unbranded Chi-nese powerbanks but in general it depends mainly on what segment one operates,”

Cover Story

Powering Mobiles and Smart Devices

“We always strive hard to offer the consumers quality products at rea-sonable price. We have a range of power banks in Ze-bronics called Pow-er Grid. Our prod-ucts in this range are very competi-tively priced and come with one year warranty, so one can buy and use them with peace of mind. Mobiles and tablets are very fast growing mar-ket segments.”

RAJESH DOSHIDirector - Purchase & Marketing, Topnotch Infortronix India

16 www.mobilityindia.com

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Mobility April 2014

Cover Story

LAVA 520 5200mAh Power Bank-cum-Wireless Router is an attractive buy for charging smartphones and tablets (via a USB por t) and connecting to Internet, while on the go. It creates a Wi-Fi hotspot from your 3G dongles or Ethernet connection, and supports up to 32 users access to Internet. W520 has a massive inner battery of 5200mAh, which allows up to 8

hours of continuous use and up to 10 hours of standby time. The W520 has two access modes: 3G wireless access (via WCDMA, EVDO and TD-WCDMA) and cable access (via WAN or LAN por ts). This wireless router-cum-power bank has a a maximum bandwidth of up to 150 Mbps. The maximum transmission distance of this device is 50 meters outdoors and 30 meters indoors. Charging this Lava power bank is facilitated by the availability of multiple charging options like via a PC or laptop USB por t, power adapter and mobile charger. W520 comes with an MRP Rs 2999 and MOP approx Rs 1950. Lava W520’s Rj45 por t is covered which protects it from dust, water, par ticles, etc.

LAVA W880 mini por table power bank is potential accessory for Smar tphones and tablets for peace of mind during long outings. LAVA W880 has a massive 8800mAh battery, enough for three full charges of most smar t phones and one full charge for most tablet devices. Battery Charging time is 6-8 hrs. LAVA W880 comes with an MRP Rs 2999 and MOP approx Rs 2500.

protective cases and covers. We will continue seeing

mobile Powerbanks to dominate for few more years

in the market,” he adds.

According to Tejas Seth, Director at Asia

Powercom, the company has tie-ups with the

LFRs, mobile distributors, retail stores to increase

its presence in the retail chain that target the

powerbank segments.

“As the market is growing, it is very difficult to

judge how big the market will be. But we think there

is more than 50% connect ratio for all small phones

being sold. The competition is from all angles. It

varies from branded ones to unbranded Chinese

powerbanks but in general it depends mainly on

what segment one operates,” he adds on.

As per Arun Ghosh, Managing Director,

CyberPower “Today the main expectations of the

consumers, who are more aware of

technology and other aspects than

ever before, are looking for features

such as quality, reliability, green

performance, etc. when making

products-related decisions. Mobile

Power Bank is the ideal design

for charging and powering USB-

powered devices ANYWHERE

and ANYTIME, including cell

phones, MP3/IPODs, PDAs,

handheld gaming systems and

cameras. We serve all Geographical

and demographical segmented

buyers who have common needs

or characteristics of buying Power

Bank Products. Our strategy is to

create awareness through regular

BTL activities, Schemes, Print

Media, Social Media, Events etc.

Young generations and working

class are fond of electronic products and thus

growth of sales is high in these market segments,”

he adds.

Competitive Scenario

Speaking about the competition in India,

Rajesh Doshi says that the market is evolving at a

very fast pace and so, the technology. “There are

many branded and non branded products available

in this segment, where the competition among

these is also high. We have a team of engineers,

working on power banks to provide best products

by adding new features and making them tiny and

lighter. Zebronics Power Grid range of products

is unique in design and steady in build quality.

Power Grid products are also well appreciated by

the media and critics and we have got many good

reviews on it,” he adds on.

As being put forward by Sudip De, since the

market is wide open and un-fragmented, there are

many players foraying into the market. “Also with

the segment being new, there are many regional

brands and players who are also present. As of

now, this is a wide open market and many non-IT

players are also jumping into bandwagon as not

much technical know-how and expertise is required

from the players,” he explains.

Speaking about the competitive landscape,

Rajan Sharma says that this market is currently

driven by sub-standard imports, which needs to

be checked. “We are one of the few established

companies to bring DIGILITE powerbank with

proper specifications, IQC & post sales network,”

he adds.

LAVA 520 (5200mAh) & LAVA W880 (8800mAh) Power Banks, The Right Companions for Your Smartphones and Tablets

“ADATA India’ main product line being storage, recently we forayed in mobile power segment with 2 new products. One a mobile power bank as ADATA PV100 and secondly a wireless charger for mobile phone supporting wireless charging with a model as CE700. With these 2 news products, we are going full throttle with our distribution network in creating awareness on the products, its USPs, technological benefits over the competitive products to the front ending sales team and channel partners alike. Apart from our distribution setup, we are also working very closely

with a chosen set of partners that have specialization in mobile segment to create awareness amongst the mobile channel partners.”

SUDIP DEVice President, ADATA Technology India

www.mobilityindia.com 17Mobility April 2014

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Mobile phones are no longer just for talking as they now serve as users’ personal assistants and enter tainment centers.

This trend has largely altered the landscape of the global mobile phone market. As for smar tphones, Apple, Samsung, and HTC are the three giants in the industry, and the competition between them has been heating up over the recent years. Cellular battery, as the main electricity source of mobile phone, is redefined by the rise of smar tphones. In order to cater to smar tphones’ slim sizes, smar tphones’ batteries are built-in, which in turn emphasizes the impor tance of supplementary power.

Smartphone Market Ruled by Two GiantsIn terms of the total shipments, Samsung’s self-supply of the

key components allows it to replace Nokia as the number one in the industry. Samsung started to develop entry-level cell phones as early as 2000 and officially became number one in North-American sales in 2008. Due to the climbing demand, Samsung has been increasing the smar tphone por tion in its production.

As of 2011, Samsung’s self-owned smar tphones accounted for 45% of the total production, and it will fur ther go up to 65% in 2013. Unlike HTC and Apple’s sole dedication to smar tphone, Samsung stably increases its share in the traditional cell phone market. Thus, the users of Samsung’s traditional cell phones may later switch to using Samsung’s smar tphones.

Apple and HTC targets the smar tphone market from the get-go, so their strategy is to acquire high-end users first and then low-end users. Continuous improvement and innovations is the key to remaining the top-dog in the high-end market. Apple’s business sees stable growth due to its continuous innovations. On the other hand, HTC still pales in comparison with Apple. HTC’s target market overlaps with that of Apple, and on top of that, Samsung has carved up a chunk of the smar tphone market. As a result, HTC is facing a fierce challenge in the mid and high-end smar tphone market.

Smartphone Propels Built-In Battery GrowthIn the past, cell phones usually used standard batteries

(replaceable batteries) in order to cut costs. However, due to smar tphones’ requirements for product designs and slim sizes, a fair amount of smar tphones use built-in batteries.

All Apple products use built-in batteries as Apple emphasizes on the product design and portability. All Apple products’ batteries and packaging are tailor-made in order to optimize the products. As for Samsung’s smartphones, some use standard batteries and some polymer batteries. Samsung’s 4-inch and 5-inch products use standard batteries in order to have better battery lives. HTC’s strategy is similar to that of Samsung, but the portion of built-in batteries starts to rise since 2012, expected to reach above 30% by the year end (15% in 2011).

Affected by Smartphone’s booming popularity, many components have undergone certain drastic changes. For example, battery is crucial to smartphone due to its high electricity consumption, and therefore, battery life becomes a pressing issue. That and the demand for trendy design make built-in battery more and more popular.

The biggest advantage of built-in batteries is that it is compatible with the slim and trendy product design. Most high-end smartphones use polymer batteries, which are difficult for users to replace. Most smartphones with built-in batteries can be recharged through USB port or wireless charger; the former is the most common solution for most products. Power bank is another solution that supplies the products with electricity through electric socket. Wireless charger is still a relatively new solution and is currently only for high-end users.

Although there are several solutions, they can basically be categorized into two kinds: power recharge and supplementary power. The edges of power recharge solution are low cost and high applicability, which makes it the mainstream solution for the time being. As for supplementary powers, although backup battery is the more popular choice now, it has its weak points. Backup power might make a better choice under cer tain circumstances.

Global Cellular Battery Trends

“ W e h a v e i n t r o d u c e d complete range s t a r t i n g f r om 2200 mAh t o 1 5 6 0 0 m A h . Currently we have been selling power banks through our channel partners across the country but going forward our strategy for power bank is to maximize our presence in Multi brand outlets and Mobile segment. Our key strategy would be to leverage our strength of Lapcare brand in the battery & adaptor segment.

Tejas Seth says that Asia Powercom

has three SKU’s for this, AP-2600C the

unique powerbank with LED torch in

it, AP-5200C the high capacity Lithium

rechargeable battery with double USB

port and AP-4000A India`s slimmest

Powerbank.

“Our strategy remains the same as to

gel with the market with new innovations

& feel of the products. Meeting the

demands of the customer by providing

them with the new products, feature

rich, well designed and all at affordable

price. With the introduction of 4G, the

Smartphones and Tablets are the segment

where we can expect the high growths. The

rapid growth in internet, digitalization

and increase in mobile internet users are

some of the trends reshaping the growth

in smartphones as well as powerbanks

sectors,” he adds on.

According to Arun Ghosh, Managing

Director, CyberPower, nearly 60% of

Accessories market is Unorganized

and 40% of the accessories market is

organized. Customers today are much

aware of the products and are willing to

buy the branded products rather than

the cheap local brands with poor quality

products. Competition is adhering to

the product that has innovative features,

quality, price and reach. Major Players in

this segment is Sony, Samsung, etc. which

are considered as our major competitors.

We provide reliable computer battery

backup systems, power management

applications, and series of computer

accessories for desktop, workstation,

and network equipment. We have wide

range of solutions for all kind of Power

Needs that are, Line Interactive UPS,

Online UPS, Emergency Power Systems,

Power Distribution Unit, Solar Inverter /

Chargers, Power Inverter, Mobile Battery

Pack, USB Car Chargers & Inverters,

USB Hubs, Cables, 3G Wi-Fi Dongle etc.

In Portable battery bank categories we

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SUNDEEP POPLICOO, LAPCARE India

18 www.mobilityindia.com

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Mobility April 2014

Cover Storyhave launched four products, viz. CPBC2200 /

CPBC4400 / CPBC5200T / CPBC10400. These USB

Battery Pack products are a rechargeable lithium-

ion battery designed for powering mobile devices

including phones, MP3 players, cameras, and

handheld gaming devices while away from other

power sources. CyberPower’s CPBC5200 Series

USB Battery Pack Received World’s First Power

Bank Product Certification from UL. Designed to

be applicable to power bank products worldwide,

the new safety evaluation standard conducted by

UL specifies the requirements intended to reduce

risks of personal injury from fire, electric shock

or other hazards. Therefore, equipment complied

with this standard could be deemed as certified

safe hence the significant recognition for users and

potential customers. CyberPower, the professional

solution provider in power industry, always designs

and manufactures products with care and attention

to fine detail,” he adds on.

Power Bank Products and Solutions

“We don’t consider the low brand competition as customers today are much aware of the products and are willing to buy the branded products rather than the cheap local brands with poor quality products. Competition is adhering to the product that has innovative features, qua l i t y, p r i c e and reach.”

ARUN GHOSHManaging Director, CyberPower

“We have recently launched DIGILITE powerbank series with 3 models with 5200mAH & 6600mAH power. Our products come with Samsung battery, LED charging indicators, LED torch, overcharge short circuit protection & over Discharge Protection. We are looking customers who are quality conscious & need higher batter back-up, We expect market size to be almost equal to atleast 50% of current MID,Smartphone market.”

RAJAN SHARMAVP Sales – DIGILITE

Talking about the various offerings of the

company, Rajesh Doshi from Infortronix says

that, “We have named our power bank products

as Power Grid. We have 3 models currently,

ZEB-PG2400, ZEB-PG4800 and ZEB-PG7200

with 2400mah, 4800mah and 7200mah capacity

respectively. The ZEBPG2400 comes with built

in torch for additional convenience. The ZEB-

PG4800 and ZEB-PG7200 comes with dual output

of 1A and 2A. All the 3 products are easy to use,

light weight and tiny in nature. All the necessary

cables and adapters are bundled with the power

banks.

Speaking about Adata products, Sudip de says

that, “as of now we have introduced 2 products,

Powerbank PV100 and Powerbank PC500. Apart

from this another product introduced by ADATA

is CE700 – a wireless mobile charger. Some of the

key features that we have are to keep users priceless

gadgets free from damaging are, overcharge

protection, over discharge protection, short circuit

protection, over voltage protection, over current

protection and over temperature protection. These

features have been developed by in-house R&D

team and surely going to be leading the path for

growth for ADATA in this segment,” he adds on.

He also adds that at present, Adata is working

very closely with its existing distributors and

regional distributors and their channel partners.

“Apart from this we are also exploring the

mobile segment, which eventually will be one of

the key drivers for the growth. To create awareness

in the market, we will be doing road shows and

channel meets specifically in the mobile segments

and highlighting the products USP to the partners.

Apart from this, with Internet penetration increasing

manifolds, we are also working closely on reaching out

to end users through this medium. With the usage of

smartphones and tablets increasing manifolds and

the power situation not improving immediately in

India, power banks are going to play a pivotal role to

keep people connected. Upcountry markets will lead

the path for this segment in terms of growth in the

coming quarters. The demand will be for not only

higher capacities but people looking in for features

to safeguard their devices,” he explains.

Speaking about the competition in this market

segment, Sandeep Popli from Lapcare says that,

“Broadly we have two types of competition.

One is from brands that compete on their value

proposition and other competition is from China

brand which can offer anything for price. We try

not to compete on price. Our products have unique

values and offerings,” he explains.

Power Bank Trends

As per the views of Rajesh Doshi, in today’s world, everyone wants to stay connected, no matter where they are. Mobile devices are helping people for faster and stable communication. “As these devices are getting more powerful and better, they are utilizing more battery for its processing and multitasking abilities. Power banks enable the users to maintain their communication for longer hours

and help them on the move. As more and more people are shifting to Smartphone and tablets for computing needs, accessories segment for these devices will also grow,” he explains.

According to Sudip De, usage of smart phone, tablets, digital cameras, portable gaming consoles being on the increase, power bank segment is one that is surely to keep rising in the coming quarters and give partners an ample opportunity for growth.

As per the views of Sandeep Popli, “Our focus is on high end products. We keep in mind the aesthetic values of the products and also the value proposition. Our product offering starts from 2200 mAh power bank and goes up to 12000 mAh. We will soon be launching power banks as high as 30,000 mAh capacities. Our unique solution is that we offer in built cables for all kind of mobile phone models. Our go to market strategy depends on the market which we plan to address. For IT and Retail market we are distributing products through RX Infotech P Limited. For markets like Gujarat and Maharashtra, we have set of Regional Distributors who are distributing the products in the market. Beginning from March we will be appointing Mobile accessories & mobile phone distributors as our RDs for power banks & other mobile related products. With the high growth on smart phones & also with a strong base of smart phones already in India, this market is going to grow many folds this year.” He adds on.