A Jio mobile phone is on display inside a digital store of Reliance Industries. (Photo: Reuters)
BENGALURU: Reliance Industries delayed the launch of a low-cost smartphone, which it is developing with Google, till November, citing industry-wide semiconductor shortages.
The “ultra-affordable” smartphone jointly developed by Reliance’s telecom arm and Google was to be launched on September 10.
Globally, companies are dealing with massive semiconductor shortages as the shift led by the Covid-19 pandemic took away demand for the critical component used in making laptops and phones. As a result, many automakers have also stopped production.
“Both companies have started testing JioPhone Next with limited users and are actively working to make it more widely available for the Diwali festive season,” Jio said in an exchange filing on Thursday.
The annual festive season in India typically lasts 30 days, starting in October and ending with Diwali – this year scheduled for November 4. Indians usually make huge purchases from jewelery to gadgets and cars during this period.
The additional time will also help ease the existing industry-wide global semiconductor shortage, Jio said.
In June, when the phone was announced, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani did not specify its price, but said it would be the most affordable smartphone “not only in India, but globally”.
Jio devastated India’s telecom market in 2016 when it launched with cut-price data plans and free voice services, leaving many competitors out of the market. It is now the largest mobile carrier in India with over 425 million subscribers.
Ambani also said in June that Jio, which counts Facebook, Qualcomm and Intel among its backers, was confident of being the first to launch 5G services in India.
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