With an aim to drive data growth and sale of mobile phones, cellphone maker Micromax and telecom operator Aircel have entered into an alliance under which the two companies will share their channel and retail networks, along with sales resources.
They will also run an integrated device sales activation program to drive data usage.
Under the agreement, Micromax handsets would come with bundled offer of low call rates, free Internet usage and contents like video, songs, game for the first three months from Aircel.
Speaking on the occasion, Anupam Vasudev, chief marketing officer, Aircel, said,"India is at the cusp of a data revolution and device tie-ups will strengthen the telecom ecosystem in the country, which is critical to drive data penetration. According to a recent study, by the year 2020, mobile internet users are set to grow 4 - 5 times and smartphone penetration is set to increase 5 times to 50% in India. Affordability in devices will give a rise to data proliferation which will be the main revenue generator for both telecom operators as well as handset manufacturers in the near future. Aircel recognizes the importance of smartphone devices to drive data usage. In line with that, it is our focus to get into partnerships with leading smartphone device manufacturers in an endeavor to bring to our customers exciting bundled products. In this exclusive partnership with Micromax, we will share their robust channel and retail network to deliver innovative and best value for money products and services."
Aircel will charge local calls at the rate of 1 paisa for every 2 seconds and STD calls at the rate of 1 paisa per second from new customers of Micromax devices.
Micromax 3G smartphones buyers will get 2GB of internet usage free every month for first three months while for Micromax 2G phones buyers the free web usage would be 1 GB on 2G and 3G network.
Micromax 3G dongle buyers will also get 500 MB of internet usage free for three months.
Commenting on the tie-up, Vikas Jain, co-founder, Micromax, said, "We are very happy to partner with Aircel, as this partnership will be an excellent amalgamation of Aircel's innovative offerings in the market place and superior hardware capabilities of Micromax, which will enable millions of consumers in India to enjoy seamless connectivity through affordable call rates, data usage and internet TV on Micromax devices. This partnership will further provide a major boost to better connectivity and internet adoption as Aircel's network coupled with our innovative devices, backed by a strong channel and retail presence will take these offerings across length and breadth of the country"