Micromax has launched its much-awaited Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone in the Indian market. For this phone, Micromax has joined hands with state-run telecom operator BSNL and offering a bundled tariff plan for users who choose the BSNL network along with the Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone.
Micromax and BSNL are branding the Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone as ‘Desh ka 4Gfone’, and this feature phone is a true competitor to the Reliance JioPhone. The Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone is priced at Rs. 2,200 and can be purchased at any retail store starting October 20.
While the Reliance JioPhone has some major disadvantages such as SIM card lock and refund policy, Micromax Bharat 1 doesn't come with any such caveats. That said if you pay Rs. 2,200, the feature phone will be all yours, and you can use the device with any network, including Reliance Jio.
Micromax-BSNL Partnership
For the Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone, Micromax has joined hands with the government-owned PSU BSNL. So, BSNL has introduced a tariff plan of Rs. 97 that gives unlimited calls and data for 28 days.
Clearly, BSNL's plan is way ahead of Reliance Jio's tariff plan of Rs. 153. And Micromax is also offering some digital content services such as Live TV, movies, and music. As said earlier, there is no network lock issues over here, which is a huge plus point for the feature phone.
Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE Feature Phone Specifications
The Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE Feature Phone shares a similar set of specifications with the Reliance JioPhone. It has a 2.4-inch QVGA display and is fuelled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 SoC. The chipset is accompanied with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.
Cameras in the Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE feature phone include a 2MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It has support for 4G LTE, VoLTE, and support for 22 Indian languages. This package is backed by a 2000mAh battery.
Official Words from the Companies
Commenting on the announcement, Rahul Sharma, Co-founder Micromax said, “BSNL is one of the major service providers in the country and has a vast reach and network that spreads across every nook & corner of the country. Both Micromax and BSNL have been working with an aim to bring the next wave of unconnected users on the Internet. We will now take this vision forward with Bharat 1 and create a compelling proposition for the users that is a first in the category.”
Anupam Srivastava, CMD, BSNL added, “We are proud that we are partnering with Micromax, a home-grown player which has been a key player in India’s growth journey and has contributed more than 150 million mobile users and this number is ever increasing. Connecting the last mile– to the Internet and relevant information – is an important part of the strategy for both BSNL and Micromax. We are confident that Bharat 1 will help millions of users experience the data and calling experience like never before.”
Furthermore, Micromax also added that the company is looking to sell more than six million smartphones under its Bharat series in the next five to six months. Hopefully, the company will achieve this deal with the help of BSNL.
Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE Feature Phone Competition
Having said that, the Micromax Bharat 1 4G VoLTE Feature Phone will compete with the likes of Reliance JioPhone and Airtel 4G Smartphone. While users have to pay an amount of Rs. 1,500 for the JioPhone, Airtel is costing Rs. 2,899 from the customers who're looking to purchase its Airtel 4G Smartphone aka Karbonn A40 Indian.
In the future, Vodafone and Idea Cellular are also slated to come with their respective affordable feature phones and smartphones.
