India is set to become one of the biggest global markets for mobile games and apps over the next four years, with predictions for the market to reach a total value of Rs27bn, a new report by  Avendus Capital suggests.

The Indian mobile games market is driven mostly by the rapid adoption of smartphones and the growing 3G user-base. Until recently, the market had been lagging in comparison to other developing economies, as piracy has been a major obstacle for the apps and games market. But as the country offers improved mobile Internet capabilities, demand for paid apps is expected to increase significantly.

Figures published in the report show that the expected number of people in India possessing a smartphone in 2013 will reach 67 million but this is forecast to soar to 382 million by 2016. At the same time, subscribers to the country’s 3G network are set to grow from 11 million in 2011 to 56 million in 2013. By 2016, the number of 3G subscriptions in India is expected to hit 266 million.