Indian manufacturer Micromax working on a Windows Phone for 2014

India is an interesting market for smartphones. The country is growing quickly with low-end, affordable smartphones from multiple vendors pushing through hardware and upgrading consumers. Now the co-founder of Micromax (www.micromaxinfo.com), an India handset maker, Rahul Sharma has revealed the company will be looking to release a Windows Phone next year. 

Global market intelligence firm, IDC previously noted that the Indian smartphone market tripled its shipments year-over-year in the second quarter of this year. The same quarter also saw more than 50 per cent growth over Q1 2013. It's a lucrative market, which Nokia is already in the process of tapping into with the Lumia 520 proving to be the most popular Windows Phone in India, according to previous AdDuplex reports.

So, we know that India's an important market, but what are the plans for Micromax? The company wants to expand into Europe and - as noted above - is looking at Microsoft's Windows Phone. In an interview with the IndiaTimes, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma was asked if the sale of Nokia to Microsoft has had any impact on the company. Here's the quoted response:

"It has been good for us because they have chosen to stick to the Windows operating system. Had they chosen Android, it would have been a threat for us. But now we're certain that they will not look at Android, which means lesser competition for us. We are working on a Windows phone and you might see something from us around mid of next year."

Even though Microsoft will be incorporating Nokia into the Redmond beast, Micromax still views Windows Phone as a growing platform with potential even for emerging vendors. It'll be interesting to see how Micromax attempts to differentiate itself from Nokia and other Windows Phone OEM partners. More "phablets" running Microsoft's mobile OS? We certainly wouldn't turn any down.

Source: The Next Web, IndiaTimes; thanks to everyone who tipped us!