DataWind launch with Vodafone India appears imminent, says Haywood

Haywood Securities analyst Pardeep Sangha says there are solid clues that DataWind (DataWind Stock Quote, Chart, News: TSX:DW) could soon officially launch with Vodafone India.

In a research update to clients last week, Sangha says some James Bond-like expert sleuthing leads him to believe that DataWind products will soon be shipping with Vodafone India.

“One of DataWind’s partners, HomeShop18, has commenced advertising and selling DataWind’s UbiSlate tablet for use on Vodafone India’s network,” says Sangha. “We discovered a YouTube advertisement that shows DataWind already shipping its Vodafone tablets through HomeShop18. We also found a reference to Vodafone on a DataWind tablet product page on HomeShop18’s website.”

The YouTube video can be viewed at the bottom of this page.

Sangha says he expects an official launch with Vodafone will happen this spring and thinks the deal could have an even greater impact on DataWind’s growth than the company’s deal with Reliance did. The analyst notes that Vodafone’s retail footprint in India encompasses a whopping 22,000 locations.

Sangha is forecasting 59 per cent revenue growth for DataWind in fiscal 2017, to $94.2-million, and a further 49 per cent growth the following year, to $140.3-million.

In the April 6 report, Sangha maintained his “Buy” rating and one-year price target of $6.00 on DataWind, implying a return of 220.9 per cent at the time of publication.

Below: Datawind Calling Tablet