Free phones to shares: Christmas comes early for RIL stakeholders

The Jio Phone was launched at the recent AGM meet of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) wherein the phone was tagged as “India ka smartphone” in line with its special features.

Reliance shares closed up 3.7 percent, after touching a almost nine-and-a-half-year high in trading following the meeting, where the company also announced a one-for-one bonus share issue. The JioPhone will be made available for user testing in beta mode from August 15 and for pre-booking from August 24. Adding that Jio users consistently make 250 cr minutes of calls every day, Mukesh Ambani thanked PM Narendra Modi for his digital India vision. The phone is data enabled and Jio data will come integrated with the phone. It supports the Hindi language for giving the voice command.

Jio has launched the much awaited Jio Phone, which is effectively free of charge. The company will be putting up 5 million JioPhones every week for sale following the pre-bookings.

By paying Rs 153/month, users of Jio phone can get free voice, free data, free SMS. However, with today’s launch, Reliance has now introduced a basic phone into the markets that supports 4G VoLTE connectivity. Small recharge packs at Rs 24 for two days and Rs 54 for a week will also be available. What is perhaps the most interesting bit about this device is the fact that the phone comes with a cable that can connect to a TV and can stream content from your phone to your TV.

Can a person who buys Jio Phone get the refund before three years lock in period?

Unlike 2002, when Ambani indicated Infocomm would be profitable within a year, this time he has given no indication of a timeline for making profits from a business that has already guzzled around $30 billion.

The JioPhone will come with a 2.4 inch screen with QVGA display and have alphanumeric keypad.

The phone is pre-loaded with applications like Jio Cinema, Jio Music and others. It will be available for all from September.

■ 0 – the price of a JioPhone. “This is the segment that will be first to jump to the Reliance Jio’s offer”, said a former CEO of a pan India mobile service provider. “At a plan Rs 153 a month, it is only 3 per cent of the existing price putting an end to unaffordable data for all Indians forever”, Ambani said. We can use the JioCinema app to watch the movies on the phone. “It took 25 years for competitors to build their 2G network, but, Jio will achieve its targeted 4G reach in just 3 years”, Mukesh Ambani said.

As announced, JioPhone has many quality features that further blur the line between smartphones and powerful feature phones.