HTC hopes to drive sales in India through brand-licensing

HTC has reportedly entered talks with three brands that are well-known in India in order to build up licensing partnerships for its devices. These brands - Karbonn, Lava and Micromax - would sell phones, tablets and accessories made by the OEM under their names in return for royalty payments. 

The Taiwanese company may have taken this path as it has exhibited unprepossessing performances in comparison to other smartphone manufacturers who also target the market sector it occupies in Indiate. This is the Rs 10,000 (about US$141)-plus price-band, which is currently regarded as the fastest-growing segment in India.

This segment is crowded with devices from a range of brands, including Samsung, Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi. Between them, they have more than enough of the cost-effective smartphones and feature phones to swamp this area. In addition, Redmi's new status as a sub-brand of Xiaomi may make this situation even more intense in the future. Reportedly, native Indian brands such as Karbonn and OEMs such as HTC are struggling against this onslaught. Therefore, this new initiative to team up may help both parties to succeed in the future.