India’s Reliance Jio to launch $12 internet-enabled phones

BENGALURU: Reliance Jio said on Monday it would launch a 4G feature phone priced at 999 rupees ($12.19), the latest attempt by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s telecom arm to grab market share in India’s massive and under-penetrated hinterlands.

Jio, which famously disrupted the Indian telecom sector in the last decade by introducing cut-price tariffs, will roll out entry-level phones equipped with internet services like digital payment in its push to reach those who have not yet migrated to smartphones.

“There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain ‘trapped’ in the 2G era, ... at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution,” Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio, said in a statement.

The move could also help Jio cement its leadership in telecom user base which has already crossed 439 million, far ahead of rivals Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.