I recently had the opportunity to speak with Arijeet Talapatra, the dynamic CEO of itel India, a brand that has built an unshakable reputation in India’s budget smartphone and feature phone segments. With a mission to make “technology for all” a reality, itel has become a trusted name in Indian households, connecting more than 110 million (11 crore) consumers through its range of feature phones, smartphones, smart gadgets, and televisions.
Under Talapatra’s leadership, the brand has achieved remarkable success, from maintaining its No. 1 position in India’s feature phone market with over 31% market share, to becoming one of the leading players in the sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone category with 22% market share (as per Counterpoint 2025). itel’s strength lies in combining affordability, reliability, and durability with localized innovation that caters to the real needs of Bharat.
Our discussion spanned several themes, from itel’s guiding philosophy and product durability to its AI initiatives, large-scale manufacturing, and plans to create a connected ecosystem of smart products.
Below is the complete interview, divided into thematic sections for clarity.
5India’s first AI-enabled feature phones
itel, recently became India’s first brand to launch AI-enabled feature phones, starting with the Super Guru 4G Max.
“Our inbuilt AI Assistant responds naturally to voice commands in both Hindi and English, helping people make calls, set alarms, send or read messages, open the camera, play music or videos, and even turn on the FM radio, all without navigating complicated menus,” Talapatra explained.
He added, “When we added AI to feature phones, our goal was to make usage easier for everyone. Until now, AI was largely limited to premium smartphones. We wanted to ensure that access to AI is not restricted to any price range, truly democratizing technology for India.”
