Reliance Jio to Shake the Turf with 4G VoLTE Feature Phones Priced at Rs. 999 and Rs. 1499

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited is set to churn a cyclone out of its Jio-created acclaim-cum-hype. After appeasing users with free benefits for more than 4 months, already (and set to continue with the Happy New Year Offer), Jio is all geared up to shake the Indian mobile makers' base with the launch of two 4G VoLTE-enabled phones. The surprise is not 4G VoLTE capabilities, but the price of these phones.

The new phones from Reliance Jio will cost as low as Rs. 999 and Rs. 1,499. Any phone which features 4G and costs as much as pebbles will polarize the Indian market as it taps the most powerful driver of Indian economy - affordability. This effect is analogous to what was created by the launch of Tata Nano. To top the cake with wishful berries, these phones will come with free voice and data services for an initial period, asserts the report from Hindustan Times.

These feature phones are likely to be reminiscent of the Reliance's CDMA phones enabled with R-World, which was a wide collection of games and media or a one-stop store for all entertainment needs. The visual content it offered on a CDMA network, however optimised for poor displays, was way ahead of its time. We could expect these anticipated 4G VoLTE phones from Reliance Jio to uphold the same sentiment.

These cheap 4G-enabled phones can be the disruptor for a cashless economy, which became an affair of mockery and distress due to the digital handicap of the majority of Indians, especially ones in rural areas. At the same time, this could give the due boost to Prime Minister's UPI mission as well as promote more of Jio's apps such as Jio Music and Jio Cinema.

Jio Money, the digital wallet and payment app part of Jio's app bundle, could be one of the major beneficiaries of this proposed launch. These Rs. 999 and Rs. 1499 VoLTE phones will empower rural masses to embrace the potential of transactions not involving hard cash.