Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of Reliance Industries Limited which has disrupted the Indian market with its aggressive pricing, has announced the JioBharat phone, a feature-rich, internet-enabled handset for ₹999 (AED44/$12), and monthly data and voice place for ₹123 (AED5.5/$1.5).
The company, which has already crossed 439 million subscribers and is way ahead of all rivals, aims to tap into a vast market of over 250 million mobile consumers in the country who are stuck using 2G technology and basic phones with no internet access.
In a statement, Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio, said: “There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain ‘trapped’ in the 2G era, … at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution.”
It’s part of Reliance Jio’s vision ‘2G Mukt Bharat’ (2G Free India).
Reliance’s JioBharat: Affordable 4G connectivity
The JioBharat phone will work on 4G connection and users will need a Jio SIM card.
The connectivity plans are a lot cheaper than other operators and offer seven times more data. The phone comes with a 28-day plan ($1.5) and offers 14GB of data (0.5GB per day) and unlimited voice calls.
Users can also avail of a yearly plan for ₹1,234 (AED55/$15) plan, where they get unlimited voice calls and 168GB of data.
Among JioBharat phone features are FM radio, a 0.3MP camera, a headphone jack, expandable storage, (up to 128GB with SD card) and torch. The display is a 1.77-inch QVGA TFT display, and it comes with a removable 1000mAh battery.
The phone supports UPI payments through JioPay and gives access to Reliance’s JioCinema platform for streaming movies, videos and sports entertainment. Users can also listen to over 80 million songs in various languages through JioSaavn access.
The company also announced that other phone brands, starting with Karbonn, will adopt the ‘JioBharat platform’ to build JioBharat phones.
The first batch of JioBharat phones of around 1 million units will go on sale starting July 7.
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