JioPhone delivery status: When will it begin?

After Jio 4G rollout, JioPhone is Reliance's most disruptive move to bring affordable internet to millions of Indians.

RIL opened booking for the JioPhone on August 24, only to suspend it in a matter of minutes due to overwhelming demand. The pre-bookings are no longer accessible, but expected to resume soon.

Reliance Jio said "millions" pre-booked the JioPhone on its first day by paying Rs 500, and the remaining refundable amount of Rs 1,000 will be collected during the delivery of the phone. Earlier, JioPhone deliveries were expected to begin in the first week of September, but it looks like there is a delay in the process.

According to a report by India Today, JioPhone deliveries could be delayed by a week due to high demand. Some retailers in Delhi NCR region have revealed that the deliveries of the 4G VoLTE feature phone will begin sometime between September 10 and September 15.

Those who have pre-booked JioPhone can check the status of their order online or by calling 1800-890-8900.

"Earlier JioPhone was supposed to reach our store around the first week of September. But now there will be some delay and JioPhone will arrive a little late," a Reliance Digital store retailer told the news outlet.

With the deliveries pushed back by a week or so and pre-booking suspended temporarily, prospective buyers are growing restless. If it's any consolation, retailers have hinted that JioPhone pre-bookings will recommence in another three-four days.

At the launch of the JioPhone during RIL's annual general meeting (AGM), the company's chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani had revealed that 50 lakh Jio Phones would be available every week. But the delay in its first batch of shipments has raised questions on the commitment.

The delay in the deliveries does not change the fact that customers will have to line up to buy the JioPhone when it becomes available — on a first-come-first-served basis. The increasing demand for the phone comes from its attractive tariffs and features like integrated voice assistant, TV mirroring, MyJio apps, internet access, and all of this with a refundable deposit of Rs 1,500.

With JioPhone, RIL is aiming to digitally enable majority of feature phone users, which are estimated at 50 crore out of the 78 crore total mobile phone users.