Google and Indian operator Reliance Jio may be secretly developing an affordable smartphone that will work exclusively on Jio’s 4G network. The phone is scheduled for launch by year-end, The Hindu Business Line reports, citing unnamed industry sources aware of the plans. Reliance Jio and Google declined to comment on the matter.
“Such a smartphone will help Rjio increase data adoption — helping it render movies and music better over its network. It will also improve the overall quality of service delivered on the Jio network”, said Sanchit Gogia, CEO at Greyhound Research. “For Google, this would mean access to a large number of new users who would be connecting to the internet for the first time. It may also help the company assess its low-cost handset strategy”, Gogia added.
Industry sources also claim that Google and Reliance Jio have been jointly developing software for Reliance Jio’s smart TV services, scheduled for launch later this year.
