Reliance Jio to launch affordable Android smartphones: Report

Reliance Industries is planning to launch a new low-cost phone and this new device will run on Google’s Android platform. The company is also planning to outsource the production of these low-cost smartphones. Currently, the company is producing JioPhone which is also capable of operating at 4G speeds but are limited in terms of applications.

A report by Business Standard claims that the company is planning to put out over 100 million low-cost smartphones running on Android. The report also suggests that these phones will come bundled with data packs and are expected to launch as early as December this year or early next year.

Earlier this year, the telecom company announced Google’s investment of $4.5 billion in Reliance Industries. The company announced Google as a new strategic partner. The company has claimed that the search giant will invest ₹33,737 crore with a stake of 7.7%.

Under this strategic partnership, Reliance Industries claimed that Google will be developing a new operating system for low-cost smartphones that will be a customized version of Android. These smartphones will be designed by Reliance Industries.

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai claimed that this partnership is aimed at increasing the reach of smartphones in the country. In a statement made during Reliance Industries’ Annual General Meeting, that was held through a virtual platform, Pichai stated, “our joint collaboration will focus on increasing access for hundreds of millions of Indians who don’t currently own a smartphone while improving the mobile experience for all."

These low-cost smartphones will be competing to take over a major chunk of the feature phone market. Reliance has sold nearly 33% of its digital arm, Jio Platforms, to raise ₹1.52 trillion ($20.22 billion) and has won the backing of global financial and tech investors including, Facebook Inc, Intel and Qualcomm.