Like past few Reliance AGM, the Jio Phone made most of the headlines on Friday, after Mukesh Ambani uncovered the wrap over most rumoured feature phone in the history of the Indian telecom industry. Introduced as “India Ka Smartphone” and offered for free with the refundable security deposit of Rs 1500, both the Reliance Jio and 4G VoLTE technology have lot of expectation from this phone.
According to reports, large number of people still uses feature phones in India and hence they are unable to access high speed internet. In that light, Jio Phone will be crucial for the company in tapping the estimated 50 crore feature phone users who have not been able to join the Jio 4G bandwagon and same goes for adoption of 4G VoLTE technology in India which is pre-dominantly an urban phenomena but with Jio Phone, it may say significant usage in rural India too.
Since its launch in September, Reliance Jio has made comparatively more headlines than its incumbents but couple of issues including non-support of VoLTE technology by majority of existing feature phones have crippled the adoption in India's hinterland—where volume, velocity and price matters more than anything else. But now the company aims to change that with the Jio Phone, which comes with 4G VoLTE support and will provide smartphone features like access to apps, social networking and other 4G services.
When Jio Phone will be made available to general public
According to the announcement at Reliance AGM on Friday, Jio Phone will be made available from August 15 (Independence Day) in beta version for testing purpose. However, the pre-booking will start from August 24 at the MyJio app and in Jio offline stores across the country. All the buyers who pre-book the Jio Phone will be able to buy it from September onwards.
With Jio Phone, will the plan changes
Jio Phone will come with two plans – Rs. 153 and Rs. 309 plans. In Rs. 153 plan, a customer will get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day), along with Jio apps. Rs. 309 plan will offer all of Rs 153 benefits plus mirroring Jio Phone on a TV, via a cable that can even be plugged into CRT TVs.
In addition to these two plans, the company have two sachet packs, at Rs. 24 for two days, or Rs. 54 per week, for users who don't want to commit to Rs. 153 as an upfront payment. After three years, customer can return the phone, and get a full refund on the deposit.
What are the features and specifications of Jio Phone
The Jio Phone will have all the features phone functionality for basic telephony but it will support voice commands. The phone will come with a number of apps and browser installed aside from Jio's offerings. Jio Phone phone users will be able to browser social networking site like Facebook. According to reports, company will also be adding NFC support to the Jio Phone to allow tap and pay solutions with a linked bank account. The Jio Phone will also support UPI payments, and debit and credit card payments, similar to Samsung Pay. On the front end, it will have a 2.4-inch display, panic button, expandable storage, and FM radio, among other features.
