Rajiv is a journalist and filmmaker who is interested in how new technologies, innovation, and disruptive business forces are shaking things up in India.
If phone companies want to perform their assemblages in India, so as to replicate China's supply chain efficiencies, this will require a prodigious feat of imagination.
For the first time in its brief history in India, the premium brand has gone all out to woo customers with big price cuts, and thanks to local manufacturing efforts, it has worked wonders. However, India's Hindu supremacist government may torpedo all of that good work.
From 3% market share in 2016 to around 30% today, Xiaomi has caught up to the mighty Samsung and even surpassed it. But can it hold on for the long haul?
When legendary businessman Dhirubhai Ambani died, he triggered a family rift between his two sons that would have profound outcomes for the both of them.
Tim Cook says the company won't be flogging India-specific phones to take advantage of this sizzling market, so the question remains as to how Apple plans to battle its far more inexpensive Chinese counterparts and survive in India.
Content providers are making hay while telecom companies are yet to figure out a monetisation model.
The boom in smartphone usage will come, not from English users, but from those who speak one of 23 Indian languages, and the success of hardware, software and content providers will hinge on the ability to innovatively cater to this population.
If Xiaomi's track record with smartphones in India is any indication of its abilities, TV makers should get ready for turbulent times following the launch of the Chinese maker's ultra-low-budget, 4K LED units in the country.
Online shoppers in India have powered Xiaomi to unprecedented success at the expense of Indian manufacturers. Now, it's Samsung's turn to be worried.
In order to do so it will have to accomplish the mammoth task of delivering differentiated value while fielding rock bottom prices over the long haul. The good news is that its recent phone delivers on both counts.