Reliance Jio and Google Working on Affordable 4G Phone for India?

The third-largest telecom operator in India and Google are keen on pushing the use of internet across the country.

Reliance Jio and Google are said to be working on affordable series of 4G VoLTE phones for the Indian market, which could be announced in the coming months.

Google’s interest in the entry-level phone segment is well known to all of us, especially with Android One, and recently, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, shared his vision for mobiles in the country. Talking about India’s tremendous smartphone potential, Pichai had said that he hoped cheaper smartphones would soon be a reality.

Entry-level smartphones should be priced around $30 (Rs 2,040 approx)

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google

And Jio has been looking to come out with its own 4G VoLTE enabled feature phone, something that Lava managed to do before them earlier this year. But with Google’s Android One project failing to lift off, while Jio losing sheen with its Lyf phones, a Google-branded Jio smartphone could work in favour of all parties involved.

Also Read: Decoded: How India’s First-Ever 4G VoLTE Feature Phone Works

The Hindu Business Line report says that Jio apps will be integrated into this rumoured phone, but experts quoted here feel that the low-cost 4G phone could enable Google to reach corners of India that still aren’t connected to the web.

We all know that Reliance Jio sources its devices from other countries, so it remains to be seen if Google opts for the Android One-route of designing and this Jio 4G VoLTE phone, and work with the manufacturer to get the recipe spot on.

Also, in all likelihood, the Jio-Google partnership could offer attractive 4G data plans for consumers.