Reliance Jio effect: Buy a 4G feature phone for Rs 1500 only

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has been making the headlines since the last six months for causing disruption in the telecom market by providing highly-affordable 4G tariff plans. The company even entered the smartphone market by taking the wraps off Android-enabled smartphones such as LYF. It appears like Reliance Jio is all prepared to continue its disruptive streak by introducing yet another low-cost 4G feature phone with useful specifications.

It was reported earlier this year that Reliance Jio is planning on launching a new 4G VoLTE-enabled feature phone that will apparently be priced around Rs 999. The device was widely expected to come equipped with support for the company’s high-speed 4G internet, Reliance Jio digital store and Play music.

Another report published recently now suggests that the Chinese mobile-chip maker Spreadtrum Communications had already started work on reducing the prices of phone by at least half the rate. Currently, 4G feature phones are priced around Rs 3,000. If what the company said will actually work out, then the feature phones would actually start at a price of Rs 1,500.

For all of those who are unaware, Spreadtrum Communications and Reliance Industries Ltd have a two-year old partnership wherein the former is responsible for powering the latter’s Android-enabled smartphones including the LYF Flame 5.

Moreover, it is further reported that Reliance Jio is also in talks with other Chinese contract manufacturers such as Techchain FortuneShip and Uniscope as a part of their effort to explore additional manufacturing possibilities of their 4G VoLTE feature phones.

Currently, the market is flooded with 4G feature phones by Lava and Micromax, which start at Rs 3,000.