Reliance Jio is hoping to replicate the enormous success it has had with JioPhone with a soon-to-be-launched JioBook, a 4G-enabled laptop that will be priced at just INR15,000 ($184/AED673).
Loaded with its own JioOS operating system, JioBook will have its own JioStore, support Microsoft apps and run on Qualcomm chips.
Sources told Reuters that the laptop will be embedded with a 4G SIM card. It will be available to enterprise businesses like schools and government institutes from this month. A consumer launch is expected within the next three months.
In 2016, Reliance Jio disrupted the telecom sector in India with extremely cheap pricing for its 4G data services and offered voice services free.
On Saturday, the Indian Prime Minister unveiled the first 5G network services in the country during the Indian Mobile Congress.
Bharti Airtel’s 5G service was activated in eight cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Reliance Jio’s Mukesh Ambani said his company will begin the roll-out starting Diwali (October 24) and promised to deliver 5G to every town and every district by December 2023. Reliance Jio has more than 420 million customers.
Last year, it unveiled the JioPhone, a smartphone priced at INR6,623 ($81/AED297). It has become India’s top-selling smartphone for under $100, accounting for a fifth of that market segment over the last three quarters, according to Counterpoint Research data quoted by Reuters. The segment accounts for 9 percent of the country’s smartphone sales.
A 5G-enabled version of laptop is set to follow and it will compete with a limited number of offerings in that price range from Acer, Lenovo and Indian firm Lava.
Follow us on
