NEW DELHI: Global handset makers Samsung Electronics OnePlus , Lenovo-Motorola and others may soon be able to sell directly to customers in India through their own ecommerce platforms by manufacturing their products in the country.Changes in foreign investment regulations, designed to give a leg-up to local manufacturing, have clearly allowed companies that make in India to sell the products through their own online portals. The fine print will be clear after the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion defines the term ‘manufacturers,’ which is expected shortly. The definition is likely to enable handset makers assembling phones in India to be called manufacturers, people familiar with the matter said.“We are finalising the definition so that everyone will know whether they qualify to be called a manufacturer or not. It will be a part of the press note we will issue shortly,” a senior government official said.The definition will provide clarity on whether the benefit will be available for companies that get their phones made by contract manufacturers in India.Handset makers are weighing the pros and cons of selling directly to consumers online. The advantages include a boost to their waferthin margins by keeping a tight leash on inventory and supply chain, apart from quality controls and building brand loyalty. It will be positive for new-age brands that don’t have the distribution network that other established brands enjoy.On the flip side, some are wary of additional costs related to inventory management, warehousing, customer acquisition and delivery of products, aspects that are now taken care of by etailers such as Flipkart Snapdeal , Amazon and Paytm, which sell phones online. Also, some established brands that have already invested in setting up large networks of distributors and retailers may not want to create an alternative, competing set-up.Vikas Agarwal, head of India operations at Chinese new entrant OnePlus, which exclusively sells through its own site OnePlus.net globally, described the move as a big positive and said it would be able to sell through its India portal as well.“Now, it is no longer critical to have an external distributor or importer to do the transactions for us,” he told ET. “Our target for direct selling is next year and this will be an interesting option to explore. This omni-commerce model allows customers to have a seamless shopping experience, whether they buy online or offline.”However, established player Lenovo said that while it is still evaluating the changes, prima facie they didn’t look too exciting for the company.“We already have an online strategy in place to cater to the online consumers, we have very good options. We have Lenovo.com, which is a third-party selling set up. So, it’s (policy change) not such a big value add,” said Sudhin Mathur, director smartphones at Lenovo India.Still, the government’s move to relax FDI norms is directed at giving a big push to the manufacturing sector in the country and taking forward the Make in India initiative. The government is latching on to this sector to create more job opportunities and make India a part of the global supply chain.“It has been decided that a manufacturer will be permitted to sell its product through wholesale or retail, including through ecommerce, without government approval,” the new FDI guidelines say. Only products that are manufactured in India will be allowed this relaxation.“Clarifying that manufacturers can sell through any channel of retail clearly supports the government’s Make in India initiative. Even assembling, for example, telecom equipment, CKD (completely knocked down) manufacturing for cars, etc., should qualify as manufacturing,” said Paresh Parekh, tax partner at EY.He added that while it’s not necessary that each and every part should be manufactured in India, the government should clarify this to avoid confusion and leave things open to interpretation.Apart from OnePlus, China’s Xiaomi, which sells through its own portal as well as through marketplaces such as JD.com, TMall and others in its home country, would be an ideal candidate to benefit from the changed rules. In India, it already has its own ecommerce site, where the products are sold by third-party vendors currently to conform to rules.Xiaomi declined to comment. Both Xiaomi and OnePlus have already started assembling in India.A spokesperson at Samsung India said the market leader was currently studying the new FDI rules. It locally manufactures most of the phones that are sold in the country and sells its products through 1.5 lakh points of sale, select ecommerce partners, besides the Samsung India estore, which is operated by a local partner.