Alcatel Re-Enters Indian Smartphone Market After 7 Years, Aims for Top 3 Position

French technology brand Alcatel has returned to India's smartphone market after a gap of seven years, with plans to be among the top three smartphone companies in India in the next three years, said a senior company official.

On Tuesday, Alcatel launched its new V3 range of smartphones in India via Nxtcell India, the India and certain foreign markets exclusive authorized partner for Alcatel.

"India is a vast market with diverse consumer segments. Our long-term vision is to secure a position among the top three players by market share within three years," Atul Vivek, Chief Business Officer at Nxtcell India, told PTI.

Vivek added that Alcatel’s plans extend beyond smartphones to developing a comprehensive consumer technology ecosystem in India, spanning multiple product categories.

To enable domestic production, Nxtcell India has partnered with Padget Electronics, a subsidiary of Dixon Technologies, to manufacture Alcatel devices locally. The firm has already invested approximately USD 30 million (around ₹260 crore) initially to relaunch the French brand in India's highly competitive mobile marketplace.

Alcatel plans to manufacture around 2 million units every year in India to start with. Though manufacturing will be for the Indian market in the beginning, the firm plans to reach out to countries nearby such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) later on.

Based on the market's reaction, Nxtcell is also planning to establish its own manufacturing facilities in India in the next couple of years. "Nxtcell India will be implementing in-house production soon, reaffirming our belief in local innovation and supporting the government's 'Made in India' initiative," Vivek said.

The just-released V3 series comes equipped with Alcatel's in-house NXTPAPER display technology and stylus support, aimed at the mid-range market. The devices in the series are the V3 Ultra, V3 Pro, and V3 Classic, all of which will go on sale beginning June 2, 2025, on Flipkart alone.