Reliance Jio, which kicked up a huge storm in the Indian telecom sector late last year with its promotional offers, is reportedly working with search engine giant Google to make smartphones in India.
Mukesh Ambani-owned network carrier is initially planning to launch affordable 4G Google phone by the end of this year, Business Line reported citing industry sources.
Also read: Reliance Jio Prime goes live in India; here are complete details of tariff plans
Will Reliance Jio help Google Android One make a comeback in India?
Though there is no word on what Reliance Jio will call the new Google phone, many believe it will be christened Android One series. The argument is not completely unfounded as the search giant is keen on expanding the internet footprint in India.
The company has already joined hands with the central, state governments and the Indian Railways to offer free Wi-Fi at railway stations and landmark areas.
Phones with 4G capability hold a lot of potential in terms of internet speed and cost. Google launched the Android One series first in India in 2014. The search giant partnered with top local phone-makers Micromax, Spice Mobility and Karbonn Mobile, albeit with limited success. Later, Google joined hands with Lava International to launch the Pixel V1 in 2015, again in vain. Though, Google, in partnership with mobile vendors launched new Android One series phones in 2016 in select global markets, none came to India. This apparently led many to believe that Google have given up on the Indian market.
Now, the latest report indicates that the search engine is far from done with the subcontinent.
We believe Reliance Jio-branded Android One has more chances of becoming a hit among the public. How? You may ask. Well, Reliance Jio is currently the most, if not the best, cost-effective network carrier in the country. Jio is offering free calls to all networks across India with no roaming charges and the data tariff is the cheapest among all domestic players.
Android One failed to take off in India after emerging Chinese players Xiaomi, among others launched similar range of phones with more specs.
The success of Lyf series phones has put Jio in a position of advantage. A better understanding of consumers in the budget segment will give the partnership an edge in the making of Android One series.
This is a win-win situation for both the parties. While, Reliance Jio get a Google label to pull in the youth (urban and rural), the search engine giant will get more internet users, and in turn get huge returns on a long term basis.
"For Jio the main target is to expand its user base and tap into users who will migrate from featurephone to smartphone for first time. Google can be of great help as it can tweak the android according to requirements like the vernacular language support and integration of Jio ecosystem app's in Android OS. This will help Jio not only expand its penetration in India but also drive its content ecosystem. Moreover, the device will be from Google so it will have a high brand value. Google will also profit from this as they will have better control over the android OS (updates etc.) and add new users to its ecosystem," Parv Sharma, research associate at Counterpoint Research, said to International Business Times, India.
Besides the 4G-mobile, Google has also been asked to develop software for Reliance Jio's Smart TV services, which is expected to make its debut by the end of 2017.
Watch this space for latest news Reliance Jio and Google.
