Reliance Communications unveiled its revolutionary feature phone last week dubbed as Jio Phone in India. However, the company hasn’t put the specifications and hardware configuration in the limelight at the time of launching. But now, the details regarding the new feature phone has started tricking out, as a Jio representative has recently reported that the Jio Phone will be a single SIM feature phone and will only support 4G VoLTE network. The company will start a beta trial of the new device on August 15, whereas the desired customers will still have to wait till September for its wider availability. Apart from this, the company has also confirmed that the pre-booking for Jio Phone will start on August 24 via both online and offline markets.
The new Reliance Jio Phone is a 4G-only device and will be only able to make calls via VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology. Interestingly, Jio is the only network to provide 4G VoLTE connectivity in the country, which means only the Jio SIM cards will work on the phone. Moreover, the company’s biggest rival Airtel has also announced that it will soon launch its 4G services, still, the Jio Phones are likely to come with SIM-lock with the one you get from the company.
In term of specifications, the Jio Phone is blessed with a 2.4-inch QVGA display microSD card slot, torch light, FM radio, and an alphanumeric keypad for input. The handset also supports voice commands and 22 Indian languages, and a panic button has also been integrated into the handset by the company. A demo of the voice command feature of Jio Phone was also showcased during its keynote presentation, where the handset was instructed to play music via Jio Music.
The handset will also feature an accessory called Jio Phone TV-Cable, which allows users to connect their devices to TVs so that they can mirror content from applications like JioTV and JioCinema. Moreover, the company has also provided NFC support for digital payments, which will be provided via OTA software upgrade. The new feature phone by Reliance doesn’t support WhatsApp at the moment, however, a glimpse of a Web browser, Facebook, and PM Modi\'s Mann Ki Baat broadcast have been seen during the unveiling at the company’s AGM.
Furthermore, the company has announced a new Rs 153 plan for its new Jio Phone, which will offer unlimited data (high-speed 4G data capped at 500MB per day), free calls and SMSes, and access to Jio apps. Still, the users will have to buy the recharge of Rs 309 to connect the device to TV and enjoy the video content on a big screen. Apart from this, the company has also sachet recharge packs priced at Rs 24 for 2-days validity and Rs 54 for 7-days validity.
As per the analysts, the company is completely focused on grabbing another 100 million users with its new offering, which will be in addition to the existing 125 million Jio users. Furthermore, the new 4G VoLTE-enabled Jio phone will undoubtedly transform the low-end phone segment and will bring out an all new era of this segment. Besides, the industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has mentioned the company’s Rs 0 pricing scheme a wise and clever marketing move by Reliance.
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