Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has launched a new JioPhone offering unlimited voice and data for two years just at Rs 1999 to tap the 300 million 2G users in India.
With its data packs and focus on internet penetration, JioPhone helped to transform India's feature phone users as more than 100 million users successfully upgraded onto the JioPhone platform. Despite this, India still has a market of 300 million mobile subscribers still using the 2G technology.
Assembly Elections 2021: EC Announces Poll Dates For West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam & Puducherry; Check Full Schedule
"To accelerate the '2G-mukt Bharat' movement, Jio has launched yet another offer that keeps affordability at its core, making the JioPhone and its services accessible to the 300 million feature phone users," said Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail in a joint statement.
The existing feature phone users continue to pay Rs 1.20 to Rs 1.50 for every minute of the voice call when affluent smartphone users enjoy free voice calls. The 2G users have to pay around Rs 50 every month to keep their connection active and get basic telecom service without internet, Reliance claimed.
"Since the last four years, Jio has democratized the internet and passed on the benefits of Technology to every Indian," said Akash Ambani, Director, Reliance Jio.
READ: India's GDP Turns Positive In Dec After Two Consecutive Declines, Grows By 0.4% In Oct-Dec Quarter
"Technology no longer remains a privilege of a select few. The New JioPhone 2021 offer is another step in that direction. At Jio, we have and will continue to take bold steps to eradicate this digital divide and welcome every Indian to join this movement," the statement added.
Reliance Jio parent Reliance Industries shares on BSE closed down 2.84% at Rs 2083.85 in a weak Mumbai market on Friday, valuing the company at Rs 13,21,044 crore.