Reliance held their 40th annual general body meeting earlier today in Mumbai. As we are all waiting for their next big announcement, finally Mukesh Ambani announces the first feature phone with 4G LTE and VoLte support. More interesting fact is, the phone is free. However, the user has to pay INR 1500 as a security deposit, to stop the misuse of this opportunity. After 3 years, the complete amount will be refurbished to the user.
The JioPhone will be available for beta testing from 15th August and can be pre-ordered from 24th August. The availability will be served on first come first serve basis, from their established Jio stores.
What is JioPhone?
JioPhone is a featured phone with following features.
- Alpha numeric keypad
- 2.4-inch QVGA display
- FM radio
- Torch light
- Headphone jack
- SD card slot
- Four-way navigation system
- Phone Contact
- Call History
- Jio Apps
Offers bundled with the device:
Like their other plans, calling will always be complementary, whenever the user buys data pack. The best plan is INR 153 per month pack, that offers unlimited data + free calling + free access to Jio apps, including Jio TV, Jio Cinema, Jio Music, Jio magazine and My Jio apps. Additionally, there is an INR 54 pack, that lasts for a week and INR 24 with two days validity.
To add icing on the cake, the company also launched new proprietary cable, that can be used to connect JioPhone with your TV (smart TV as well as cathode-ray tube TV (old school)). To avail this offer, the user has to get INR 309 package.
This is a great move from the reliance to tackle the remaining users in India, who still uses a feature phone as their daily drivers. As the competitors started pricing their devices aggressively, this is the answer from Mukesh Ambani.