Reliance Jio has confirmed that it is working with Alphabet-owned Google to launch an affordable 5G smartphone in India. During his speech at the annual general meeting (AGM), 2022, Mukesh Ambani said that the telco in collaboration with Google is developing ‘ultra-affordable 5G smartphones’ for India. However, he did not reveal the name of the phone.
“We are working with Google to develop ultra-affordable 5G smartphones for India. We will also leverage the advanced capabilities of Google Cloud to offer Jio’s Private 5G stack and other 5G-enabled solutions to both domestic and global users at scale,” Ambani said in his speech.
Jio plans to launch its 5G services in the country by Diwali this year. The next-generation network services will initially be available in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Subsequently, the coverage will be increased across the country by December 2023. Jio says that it has committed a total investment of ₹2 lakh crore for 5G roll-out plan which, it says, will be the fastest in the world. “We are also working very closely with all leading global smartphone OEMs, and we have their commitment that they will support Jio’s True 5G,” Mukesh Ambani said.
The company’s largest telecom provider has also partnered with Qualcomm to develop 5G solutions. Qualcomm CEO, Cristiano Amon said “I’m excited to be working together on cloud-native, scalable, and exible 5G infrastructure, in both mmWave and sub-6GHz, to develop an ecosystem that can extend beyond India.”
Jio’s affordable 5G phone: What we know so far
Jio’s upcoming 5G smartphone is rumoured to be called JioPhone 5G. The smartphone is likely to come powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G SoC. It may run on the company’s own PragatiOS and may house a 5,000mAh battery.
The smartphone is said to have a 6.5-inch IPS screen with HD+ quality and a refresh rate of 60Hz. The handset is rumoured to pack 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage capacity. It is likely to offer a 18watt charging adapter with USB Type-C port for charging.
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