Mumbai, August 16: The beta testing for the much-awaited Reliance Jio 4G feature phone began from August 15 while the pre-bookings for the handset will begin from August 24. According to the latest development, Reliance Jio Infocomm is believed to offer its JioPhone users the option to return the used handset before three years and get part of the security deposit back, a report by Economic Times said. It was reported that Reliance Jio, led Mukesh Ambani is likely to announce the terms of the refund scheme in the coming days.
Ever since the launch of the new 4G feature phone, the company has been questioned by many analysts that if the security deposit of Rs 1500 beneficial enough for mass usage as it is refundable after three years on the return of the phone. New entrant Reliance Jio aims to boost subscriber base with the launch of this 4G feature phone. Jio’s marketing strategy in terms of its 4G feature phone is similar to its last year’s move by launching Jio services in beta stage, ahead of the main rollout of disruptive offers in September last year. Analysts are of the opinion that through this JioPhone, Jio is targeting the 50-crore feature-phone subscriber market. Its main target audience are the 500 million Indians who are still on basic 2G/3G feature phones.
As per a report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Jio has added 3.9 million new users to its subscriber base in the month of April. The rival incumbent telecom operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular did not fare well in terms of wooing users. Reports by ET said that Bank of America Merrill Lynch said the refund of Rs 1,500 on the phone will be lower if the phone is returned prematurely. “Jio may have options for upgrades of handsets,” it said.
The JioPhone-a smart feature phone with 4G VoLTE support comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA display. The feature phone comes with with a dedicated button that enables search through voice commands. The phone supports 22 Indian languages and also has NFC support for the digital payments. It has to be noted that JioPhone customers will get additional benefits of free voice calls till lifetime at a monthly tariff of Rs 153.
