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According to some media reports Reliance Jio is likely to launch
its 4G VoLTE feature phone at INR 500 by this month. This low-cost feature phone
may bring another wave of disruption alike in the telecom industry, this time in
the handset business. The phone is expected to be launched at the Reliance
Industries' annual general meeting scheduled for July 21. A new tariff plan is
also likely as the current Dhan Dhana Dhan offer will end by this month. The
phone will be priced at INR 500 as the company looks to attract 2G
users to 4G, HSBC told ET. The move will help Jio strengthen its subscriber
base. As of April 2017, Jio had 112.55 million subscribers. The limited
proliferation of 4G handsets means the company has to focus on getting more people
buy such phones.
In India, Jio is the only operator
working on a VoLTE-only network. Other players like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone
are primarily 2G/3G networks with VoLTE options available in select cities. Jio
has already placed orders for 18-20 million of these phones with key Chinese
phone makers like Zhejiang Techchain, Crave and Megaphone, according to the ET
report. The shipments are expected to start from July-end of early August, says
the report. According to previous reports, Jio is planning for sub Rs 1,500 4G
VoLTE feature phones. The move would make sense for Jio as the company’s 4G SIM
cards are not compatible with 3G smartphones. On average, a 4G smartphone costs
around Rs 3,000. Some of Jio’s Lyf Flame 4G smartphones are available for less
than Rs 3,000. Other domestic players like Micromax and Intex are also working
on sub-Rs 2,000 4G smartphones.
