# More than 2.5 cr users without functional devices right now: ICEA pushes to make phones essentials (HT Tech) > Difference in opinion between handset makers and retailers has lead to ICEA requesting that mobile phones and spare parts sale be allowed # More than 2.5 cr users without functional devices right now: ICEA pushes to make phones essentials ## Difference in opinion between handset makers and retailers has lead to ICEA requesting that mobile phones and spare parts sale be allowed Apr 25 2020, 16:19 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![According to the ICEA, India has about 85 crore mobile phone users, out of which about 4 crore will be stuck with non-functional devices by the end of May. Around 2.5 crore Indians are without functional devices right now because sale and repair of mobile devices have not been permitted under the lockdown.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2020/04/04/Pictures/rules-wider-image-quarantine-millennials-face-bedtimes_59a077ec-7653-11ea-a349-a18bc5ff339a.jpg) According to the ICEA, India has about 85 crore mobile phone users, out of which about 4 crore will be stuck with non-functional devices by the end of May. Around 2.5 crore Indians are without functional devices right now because sale and repair of mobile devices have not been permitted under the lockdown. (REUTERS) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By HT CORRESPONDENT The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) said yesterday that an estimated four crore mobile phone users in India will be without handsets by May-end if the restrictions on sale of handsets and spare parts continue. Add to this around 2.5 crore people who are without functional devices right now. The industry body mentioned faults and breakdowns as reasons due to which customers would be stuck with non-functional devices with no option to replace them or get them fixed amid the lockdown. With only essential goods and services being allowed to be sold and function, mobile users will find themselves in trouble if their phones stop working for any reason. Operations of telecom, internet, broadcast and IT services have been permitted but mobile phones have not been included on the list as essentials though one would need a phone to access these services. Also read click here. ICEA mentioned that on an average around 2.5 crore mobile phones are sold every month and the active population of mobile phones is 85 crore currently in India. ICEA members include handset makers like Foxconn, Apple and Xiaomi, and the industry body had written to the IT secretary requesting the Centre to lift the restriction on the sale of mobile phones. Also Read: 4 crore Indians may be without mobile phones by May-end if curbs not lifted: ICEA "Senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions are most susceptible to Covid-19. In such cases, the fatality rate is upwards of 10 per cent. The disease is such that all times, the patients need to fend for themselves from the time they communicate with municipal authorities regarding symptoms to testing and treatment," ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said in a letter to IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney. "A very large proportion of these purchases are replacements. In addition, even with a much-improved quality of phones and mobile devices, there is an approx 0.25% break down on a monthly basis. With the current mobile base at nearly 85 crore,it is clear that nearly 2.5 crore individuals are suffering due to non-availability of new devices or repair of their existing devices," ICEA said. "We have written to the government that these numbers will expand to nearly 4 crores before the end of May. It is critical that mobile device sales via online, and in a phased manner via retail, as well as service centres with facilities for home delivery and pickup must be declared as "essential services", in addition to grocery and medicines," Mohindroo said. Also Read: Don't allow entry into Delhi without Aarogya Setu App, Lt Guv Anil Baijal told Amid all this, some district administrations have also made the government's coronavirus case tracking app Aarogya Setu mandatory for those who step out of their homes. You cannot download Aarogya Setu if you do not have a smartphone. Differences between handset makers and retailers ICEA had made a joint representation with CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) to the Home Minister, Home Secretary, Commerce & Industry Minister, Secretary DPIIT and Secretary MeitY for allowing sales of mobile devices under the "essential services" category. However, CAIT ditched ICEA and backed AIMRA's (All India Mobile Retailers Association) views that offline handset shops should be opened during the lockdown. "Any hasty decision of lifting the lockdown may result in further worst period for the country and therefore the government should take a decision by deeply analysing all pros & cons of lifting or continuing the lock down," CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said. AIMRA National President Arvinder Khurana wrote to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on April 23 asking him to not make mobile phones as essential items. "Human life is more precious than mobile phones getting converted into essential items," the letter's subject line said. Khurana added that AIMRA didn't want to expose mobile retailers and customers at risk of contracting Covid, "but we are ready to serve the customers by doorstep delivery". AIMRA has asked for a bumper stimulus package from the government to rescue 30,000 sellers from bankruptcy. The Ministry of Electronics and IT has recommended to the Home Ministry to include mobile devices including laptops in the list of essential goods but the MHA is yet to accept it. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 25 Apr, 16:07 IST 71,589,383,790,561 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/03/28/414x233/ChatGPT_Ghibli_style_images_1743161814450_1743161814596.jpg) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/14/414x233/invites_1738728829564_1739543695649.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/13/414x233/unnamed_1739426557335_1739426567634.jpg) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/more-than-2-5-cr-users-without-functional-devices-right-now-icea-pushes-to-make-phones-essentials-story-xtnGDqETt0WOuXQcNu4bvO.html