According to Reliance Industries’ 2024 annual report, JioBharat, a cheap keypad smartphone, has gained an astonishing 50% market share in the sub-Rs 1000 sector.
JioBharat, launched with the objective of empowering every Indian with digital services, has marked a big step towards digital freedom for India’s 250 million feature phone users, bridging the digital gap like never before.
JioBharat has been impacting lives since its inception a year ago by providing features and digital capabilities like UPI, JioCinema, and JioTV, allowing people from all walks of life to succeed.
This inexpensive gadget not only gives users smartphone capabilities, but it also delivers high-quality and low-cost data, making it accessible to the general public.
Despite recent industry-wide rate rises, Jio’s JioBharat pricing remains steady, allowing consumers to enjoy full digital capabilities for just Rs. 123 per month.
In contrast, the most economical plans from other carriers begin at Rs 199 per month and provide access to limited functionality, such as voice and SMS services, because their feature phones do not offer data or LTE usage.
In his letter to shareholders, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd., wrote, “The launch of the JioBharat phone is another significant step toward bridging the country’s digital divide. The JioBharat phone, a smartphone priced like a feature phone, would help to realize a 2G-mukt Bharat.”
When Jio was created in 2016, it went to great lengths to democratize internet access and ensure that every Indian could benefit from technology.
With inexpensive high-speed internet and a pervasive network, technology was no longer a luxury reserved for the privileged few.
The following emergence of low-cost smartphones such as JioPhone, as well as the availability of low-cost cable broadband (JioFiber), have completely democratized data connections.
“With the introduction of Jio 4G in 2016, we embarked on a path to make digital inclusion in India a reality. Jio transformed connectivity in Dark India into data-rich India, providing every Indian home with low-cost, high-speed 4G connectivity.
“And this year, Jio has further enhanced the country’s digital infrastructure by rolling out its True5G network across India in world-record time,” reads Mukesh Ambani’s letter to shareholders in the current annual report, which was issued on Thursday.
