Google to help Jio’s 4G push with launch of affordable smartphone ‘built for India’

India’s Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is making a new effort to push its 4G services in the country.

The digital services provider has come up with an ultra-affordable 4G smartphone called JioPhone Next. The company worked with Google to co-develop the handset, which runs on an optimized version of the Android mobile operating system. The objective is to tap 300 million users in India that are still reliant on 2G connectivity.

Photo credit: Jio/Google

“Our teams have optimized a version of our Android OS especially for this device. It will offer language and translation features, a great camera, and support for the latest Android updates.” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a video message at RIL’s Annual General Meeting.

Stressing that the device “is built for India,” Pichai added that it will open up new possibilities for millions of new users who will experience the internet for the very first time.

Reliance and Google had announced a partnership in July 2020, saying that they would develop an entry-level smartphone for the Indian market. Google also invested US$4.5 billion in Jio Platforms for a 7.7% stake that same month.

The smartphone will be launched on September 10, Jio said. Though it did not reveal the price, the company noted that JioPhone Next will be “amongst the most affordable smartphone not just in India, but globally.”

Jio is credited for the 4G boom in India. The company had launched its telecom services in 2016 with an aggressive price strategy and offers, including free voice calls.

One of its biggest pushes came through JioPhone, which is designed like a feature phone but with access to 4G connectivity and popular apps like WhatsApp. Later, Google also offered apps like Google Assistant for the smart feature phone. JioPhone was priced as low as US$20.

So far, Jio has 425 million subscribers in India. The company aims to gain another 200 million subscribers in the next few years.

Faisal Kawoosa, a senior technology analyst, told Tech in Asia that India needs an affordable 4G smartphone with full capabilities, like the one Jio that announced today.

“We will have to wait and see the actual performance which will define its market success. No user wants a half-baked smartphone,” he added.

Eyes on 5G

Apart from co-developing an affordable 4G smartphone, Google and Jio have extended their partnership to 5G as well.