Reliance Industries Plans To Sell 200 Million 4G Feature Phones In 2 Years
The company is planning to launch these phones in the second half of August.
- Reliance Industries likely to price 4G phones at Rs 1,000-1,500
- The company is planning to launch in the second half of August
- The phone will come with a cable that can connect with TV sets to watch Jio TV content
- In talks with Foxconn and Intex to domestically manufacture phones
Reliance Industries Ltd. is working on a strategy to sell 200 million 4G feature phones that are likely to be priced between Rs 1,000-1,500 in two years, people with knowledge of the matter told PTI.
The company is planning to launch it in the second half of August. However, it could not be ascertained if the handsets will be sold by Reliance Retail or the newest telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.
Reliance has not yet finalised actual unit price of the feature phones, but it is likely to be in the range of Rs 1,000-1,500 a unit, one of the people who did not wish to be named said. It will be smart feature phone with pre-loaded apps of Reliance Jio like Jio TV, Jio Money, he added.
The person said the phone will not have a touchscreen feature like smartphones, but will have rest Wi-Fi connectivity, web browsing and will also come with a cable that can connect the handset with television sets for watching Jio TV content.
The company is targeting 2G users who cannot afford expensive smartphones and are paying high call rates, the person said adding that since Jio's voice calls are free it will encourage them to buy these handsets.
Reliance Jio has started the process of importing handsets and is in discussion with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, and Intex to make them in India.
Around 10 million units are being planned for initial sales and the company has plans to increase inventory to 100 million in the first year and another 100 million next year, the person quoted above said.
Mobile industry body Indian Cellular Association, in a submission to the government, had said the total size of Indian mobile phone market was estimated to be around 280 million units in 2016 and is expected to grow to 320 million by 2018.
Another person privy to discussions said Intex had approached RIL for bundling Reliance Jio service for a state government tender. Intex will bid for a state government tender but it wants bidders to come with a service provider, the person added.
Reliance Jio declined to comment on the story. Intex said that they are “exploring variious business opportunities, including those with Reliance Jio” and that it is keen to participate in state government tenders.