Chinese handset maker OPPO, which forayed into Indian market last year, is looking to tap India’s rural market with budget smartphones. It is also closely watching the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and is keen participate in it.

"India’s rural market is catching up fast and we are planning to come up with low-range and mid-segment smartphones which fits the budget and delivers the best-in-class experience," said OPPO Mobiles India Chief Executive Tom Lu.

India’s rural mobile users, as per the telecom regulator’s recent report, stand at nearly 375 million. Most of these people have low-cost feature phones.

Lu believes the supply for feature phones is gradually disappearing. The market share of smartphones will increase quickly in coming years as consumers are increasingly shifting toward low-cost mobile Internet options, he said.

OPPO Mobiles is planning to open and operate its own exclusive retail stores soon, he said.

OPPO entered into the mobile phone marketplace in 2008 in China and expanded its presence in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, USA and India.