Reliance Jio is said to be working on a 4G VoLTE feature phone that will be priced around Rs 500 and could make its entry into the market this month, as per a report by The Economic Times.
According to the report, the new pricing is aimed at luring 3G users to easily switch to 4G by offering handsets supports 4G at cheap prices. The phone is likely to make its debut later this month during the company AGM.
The report further adds that the company could also announce its new tariff plans as Dhan Dhana Dhan offer ends this month. However, meanwhile, those users whose Dhan Dhana Dhan and Summer Surprise offers are ending can find out what's next for them here.
An IndianTribune report claims that to further attract more users, the company may also launch data plans that are priced around Rs 80 - 90. However, there is no clarity on whether these will be made available to all or simply limited to those who buy the feature phone.
The report adds that the phone could feature a 2.4-inch display, 4GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, and a microSD card slot. In addition, a 2MP rear snapper, a VGA front camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and NFC support also make it to the list.
During his India visit, Google's Sundar Pichai had also called for the need of Rs 2000 smartphones in India. Similarly, Indian government had also asked local phone makers to build smartphones priced under Rs 2000. The aim is to push Internet-enabled devices to rural areas. Jio’s this long-time rumoured move to bring affordable 4G VoLTE feature phones could prove to be beneficial. It was seen that despite the heavy smartphone penetration, feature phones continued to dominate the Indian phone market with more than 50 percent share in 2016.