India May Get iPhone 4 in Time for Diwali Shopping Season

With more than 133 million domestic customers and a market share of 21.6 percent, Bharti Airtel is India’s leading wireless operator. Which makes it a wise choice as the iPhone’s second carrier in the country (Vodaphone was the first). And Bharti Airtel CEO Sanjay Kapoor says it may become just that this fall. “We are working with Apple,” he said at an industry conference Monday. “Hopefully, we will launch it in the September-October timeframe.”

In preparation for the iPhone 4’s arrival, BA is hastening the rollout of its 3G network, which it recently bolstered with a $2.73 billion spectrum investment that covers 13 of India’s 22 wireless zones. “As far as 3G is concerned, a very large amount of the network is 3G ready,” Kapoor said. “We are working towards an aggressive timeline.”

Just how the iPhone 4 will fare in the Indian market is an open question. Digital Inspiration’s Amit Agarwal cautions that the Apple (AAPL) device’s hefty price tag and the recent hurly-burly over its wireless performance may undermine its success a bit. “The iPhone may be a great device, but we Indians would not like to spend 40,000 rupees ($850) on a phone that we know will become outdated in six months,” Agarwal told The Wall Street Journal. “Top it with a problem that may or may not be exaggerated, but is widely discussed, and purchasing one just doesn’t make sense to us.”