Android phone Jio-Google 4G to arrive in the first quarter of 2021
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| Image Credit: PhoneRadar |
Earlier this year, Reliance Jio collaborated with Google to work on low-cost Android smartphones. These 4G smartphones will possibly not be released this year however. Telephones bundled with data packs were expected to start in December 2020. The announcement follows Google’s Rs 33,737 investment in Jio Platforms, with a 7.7% stake. Jio Platforms Limited has assigned shareholdings to Google International LLC, which is why Google International owns 7.73% of Jio Platforms’ completely diluted equities shares,” Reliance Jio said earlier this month.
However the Jio-Google smartphone will take a few more months, depending on the current growth. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed to 91 mobiles that the Android-powered Jio Google phone would not start in December because it was still being tested and could take about three months to arrive. Previous reports have suggested that Jio wants to outsource and develop more than 10 cheap smartphones in India.
In July, Reliance CEO Mukesh Ambani announced a commercial deal with Google for Reliance Jio with the aim of co-developing affordable 4G smartphone and maybe 5G smartphones for a ‘2G mukt Bharat’ (both free from 2G India).
“We believe we can design a 4G or even a 5G smartphone entry level for a fraction of its cost. To power such a smartphone, we also want a value-added system, and a system of that sort must be designed from a grassroots perspective,” said Mukesh Ambani, President of Reliance Industries at this year’s Annual General Meeting.
Jio Phone was released in 2017 in India with more than 100 million users, many of whom are first-time internet. Android’s low-cost phones are also an attraction to other telecommunications firms’ Reliance plans, which are also providing 2G/3G networks on cheap smartphones.
As reported by the report, Reliance works on the facilities for its 5 G network and asked the Department of Telecom to award its test spectrum prior to exportation of these goods. The Reliance Jio government has yet to listen to the appeal. At present, there are no 5 G services in India, and the government has not even given a spectrum to telecommunications operators to perform field trials in order to attract them.
Source: India Today
