Jio, the telecom unit of Reliance Industries, is looking to outsource the development of over 10 low-cost crore smartphones that will be based on Google's Android platform, said Business Standard newspaper.Jio will promote the low cost portion of the phone, and will sell the smartphone with bundled data plans. This is related to how consumers now are able to buy the JioPhone 4 G mobile phone.
The phones, which will be bundled with data packages, could start in December 2020 or early next year.Jio's partnered with Google to create a new mobile App based on Android. The two companies will work together to develop 4 G smartphones for entry level and a 5 G smartphone for entry level. And it is likely that the first product will be launched from this collaboration in a few months time.
New smartphones aren't the first time Jio releases Android handsets. Back in 2015-16, the company was releasing a series of entry-level smartphones under the name 'Lyf.' The phones, reportedly developed by ZTE in China, initially sell well, but the company did not see any new releases in years.
The new phone is expected to pose a big challenge for Chinese vendors including Xiaomi and BBK Electronics, owners of the Realme, Oppo, and Vivo brands currently dominating a $2 billion (approximately Rs. 14,713 crores) sub-$100 (approximately Rs. 7,360) smartphone market in India.