Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries said on Monday it is set to launch a new 4G-enabled phone priced at 999 rupees ($12.19). The phone is named ‘Jio Bharat’.
“There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain ‘trapped’ in the 2G era, unable to tap into basic features of the internet at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution. Six years ago, when Jio was launched, we made it clear that Jio will leave no stone unturned to democratize internet and pass the benefits of technology to every Indian. The new Jio Bharat phone is another step in that direction,” Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani said.
Reliance statement said that Jio Bharat is being launched with the objective of empowering every Indian with the power of digital services, especially those who cannot afford a smartphone. This will truly mark the beginning of Digital Freedom for the 250 million feature phone users in India and will bridge the digital divide.
Beta trial for first 1 million Jio Bharat phones begins from 7th July.
Currently, 4G feature phones account for less than 1% of the feature phone sales in India, per Counterpoint Research.
“Feature phone to smartphone transition has slowed down due to high learning curve for a lot of rural Indian users and Jio Bharat aims to bridge that gap,” said Tarun Pathak, analyst at Counterpoint Research.
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