Mukesh Ambani has an illustrious history of disrupting telecom space. Back in 2003 under his wings then Reliance Infocomm than launched Rs 501 phones in with carrier contracts. About a decade after the 501 phone spectacle, Reliance Industry launched Jio platforms with lifetime free calling and cheap data that literally turned the Telecom industry upside down. Now, Jio Platforms is reportedly working to disrupt again with an Android-based Jio Phone that will cost just Rs 4,000. That’s right, a JioPhone running on Android for about Rs 3,500.
A Bloomberg report reveals that Reliance is engaging with Indian smartphone manufacturer’s to make an ultra-affordable Android-based Jio Phone for the masses. The report claims that Jio has asked local suppliers to improve their production capacity to manufacture 200 million smartphones over the next two years.
The report is based on information collected from those who are familiar with the matter. Jio’s less than ₹4,000 smartphone will run Android and will come bundled with low-cost wireless plans.
Reliance has been talking about an ultra-affordable smartphone for quite some time now. Even at the July 2020 AGM company once again affirm its commitment to bring in low-cost smartphones.
With Google and Qualcomm joining Jio as strategic partners, they plan to work on cheap 4G and 5G devices for consumers. If you recall, back in July, Google invested $4.5 billion and Qualcomm invested $97 million in Jio platforms. However, the Rs 4000 phone is being planned by Jio alone as these investments are still under the regulatory review process.
