Reliance Jio, the high-flying telecom network in India is long-rumored to launch an affordable 4G handset, and some rumors were claiming that the company will launch a feature phone with VoLTE support priced under Rs. 1500. However, a new report claims that the firm is working closely with search giant Google to deliver a cheapest 4G Android smartphone.
According to a report coming from The Hindu Business Line, both the Reliance Jio and Google are working together to launch a 4G smartphone, and that might be work only with Jio network. The report further claims that the phone will be launched by the end of 2017 and the so-called affordable 4G smartphone from Jio will also come with all the Jio apps and services preinstalled.
Sanchit Gogia, CEO at Greyhound Research speaking with the publication said as: "Such a smartphone will help Jio increase data adoption- helping it render movies and music over its network. It will also improve the overall quality of service delivered on the Jio network."
Also, this smartphone might be Google' second innings with the Android One project. Google's Android One project was exclusively developed for the Indian market, where the company partnered with companies such as Micromax, Karbonn in bringing cheap Android smartphones to the market and the software updates will be pushed by Google itself. But the project failed miserably due to the invasion of Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, LeEco, Coolpad, Lenovo, etc.
So, with this rumoured smartphone and in collaboration with RJIL (Reliance Jio Infocomm), Google might be starting new innings of Android One project. The report also cites that “Android One had too many OEM partners, with each phone from every brand looking the same, leaving no distinction for the vendor. Moreover, at the same time, Chinese players like Xiaomi launched their phones at a similar price with a lot more features, mostly killing the idea of Android One completely,” said Jayanth Kolla, founder, and partner at Convergence Catalyst.
As mentioned earlier, Google and Reliance Jio are planning to launch the smartphone by the end of this year, and currently, there are no details on the specifications of the rumoured phone.
