In what was definitely the most-awaited feature phone launch in years, Reliance Jio announced the Jio Phone launch[1] at the annual Reliance Industries AGM on Friday. The phone comes at a price that's even lower than what was rumoured - you need to pay a Rs. 1,500 deposit up front, which is refundable after three years, making the phone effectively free. Jio Phone users can enjoy Reliance Jio services like free voice calling and SMS, as well as access to Jio apps like JioTV and JioMovies at Rs. 153 per month, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani[2] said. This Jio plan also gets you 'unlimited' Internet data, with a daily high-speed data cap of 500MB.
So is the Jio Phone[3] going to be the phone that gets the next set of Indians on the Internet? What are its limitations? Does the Jio Phone run WhatsApp? Read on for the answers to these, and other questions.
Jio Phone launch date and booking
The Jio Phone will be made available starting August 15 in a beta programme, and it will be up for pre-booking from August 24 onwards[4]. Pre-orders can be made using the MyJio app or Jio offline stores. Customers who pre-book the phone will be eligible to purchase it from September onwards, on a first come first serve basis. Mukesh Ambani said Jio is targeting to have 5 million Jio Phones available every week.
Want to Buy Jio Phone? Here's the Booking Process[5]
Jio Phone cable TV and plans
There are two prepaid plans[6] that you can sign up to with the Jio Phone. Both have a one month (28 days) validity, and include...