Google Will Produce Mobile Phones In India, Pixel 8 Available Next Year

Google will start smartphone production in India (photo: dock. google)

Alphabet Inc through Google will start production of smartphones in India, and their flagship phone, Pixel 8 will be available in the country next year. This was said by an executive on Thursday, October 19. This is also a step from this giant technology company in following the steps of other global companies that established facilities in the South Asian country.

At the Google for India event, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services, said that Google would partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce smartphones locally.

"India is the primary market for Pixel smartphones, and we are committed to bringing the best of our hardware and built-in software capabilities to people across the country," Osterloh said.

There are no details on how many smartphones will be produced or where the factories will be directly available.

The company also announced plans to allow users to order metro tickets directly from the Google Maps app.

Google, which operates one of the largest payment apps through Google Pay, also said on Thursday that it will partner with DMI Finance, an Indian non-bank loan-giving company. This is a collaboration, for small loans to traders with a value ranging from 15,000 rupees (IDR 2.8 million).

Google Pay already provides loans in collaboration with a number of lenders. They will also introduce credit through UPI, a facility recently approved by the central bank, in collaboration with major banks.

A stronger push into lending comes at a time when demand for small personal loans in the country is growing rapidly, raising concern from India's central bank.

Google considers India a key growth market, where most smartphones run on its Android ecosystem.

However, the company is also facing business and regulatory challenges there - startups and companies like Disney have legally challenged some of the policies in its app. Google is also struggling in some antitrust battles, including one related to its alleged abuse of its position in the Android market.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Google's plan to open a global fintech operations center at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) during a virtual meeting last week with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

Global companies are eyeing India as the next driver of growth, including Apple which is projected to account for 7% of smartphone sales in the country from July to December, according to data from market research Counterpoint.

The memory chip company from the United States, Micron Technology, recently announced plans to set up its first semiconductor factory in the country.