We are just a few months away from the launch of 5G. The launch of 5G services in India is expected to take place in October. The 5G network will be rolled out in 22 cities across the country in the first phase. There are also budget smartphones with 5G network support being launched by smartphone companies. In addition to plans to launch 5G in India, Reliance Jio is also working on a budget 5G smartphone.
Jio Phone 4G, the company’s affordable smartphone under Rs 10,000, was previously launched by Mukesh Ambani. Since 5G is nearing its rollout, the company will soon launch an affordable 5G phone. According to CounterPoint Research, Jio could launch its upcoming 5G smartphone below Rs 12,000.
According to the CounterPoint report, Reliance Jio plans to price its 5G phone between Rs 8,000 and Rs 12,000 when it launches 5G. Before the launch of the 4G phone, Jio had used a similar strategy in partnership with Google and Qualcomm.
“The two-pronged strategy will be essential to Jio’s growth and its leadership in the 5G era as well. As the cost differential between the two has narrowed significantly from an overall BoM (Bill of Materials) perspective, Jio will also be required to launch an affordable 5G mmWave+sub-6GHz smartphone by 2024.”
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance, announced that the company would launch ultra-affordable 5G phones with Google. At the AGM, Ambani did not disclose any pricing information.
In terms of 5G recharge plans, Jio’s 5G prepaid packs are likely to cost about 20% more than 4G packs. Jio purchased bandwidth in varied frequencies, including 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz, at the 5G spectrum auction, spending over Rs 88,000 crore.
