Reliance will soon launch features phones with 4G VoLTE functionality. There are still huge number of mobile users in India using feature phones and this move by Reliance will gain their attention, a win – win situation for both company and the users.
There are low cost 4G smartphones with VoLTE support available in the market but the handsets are not really that cheap when compared with feature phones, moreover there are users who prefer feature phones.
Since Reliance Jio needs 4G support and VoLTE support for voice calls, it makes sense to launch feature phones catering to non-smartphone users enabling them to use 4G VoLTE. As per source the company will launch Reliance feature phones with 4G + VoLTE support and it will be compatible with Reliance Jio. The price will be under Rs. 1000 – Rs. 1500 plus the company will be providing unlimited voice / video calling + digital content as per the plan.
2G is still a big market, with 4G enabled feature phones Reliance will definitely try to penetrate this huge segment – there are about 65% users in India using feature phones. Most likely the company will launch these Reliance Feature phones in the market in 2017 (Jan – March).
The feature phone will come with a non-touch screen and will offer the same functionality that smartphones offer – data access / internet / video calling etc.