Jio Bharat Phones for 2G-Mukt Bharat to Launch at Rs. 999; Beta Trial to Begin From July 7

Reliance Jio announces the launch of new Jio Bharat phones aimed at making India '2G-Mukt Bharat'. The company will begin the beta trial of the first 1 million Jio Bharat phones starting July 7 across 6,500 tehsils. These new internet-enabled phone will be priced at Rs. 999. Meanwhile, the company has also planned to launch a JioPhone 5G device later this year. The recently leaked live images of the purported handset have revealed that the JioPhone will likely sport a dual rear camera setup.

The telecom company on Monday announced the launch of entry-levelphones with internet at just Rs. 999. The launch for these phones, according to the company, are a step towards digital empowerment in India. Reliance Jio will begin with Beta testing of the phone, which will begin from July 7. In the trial phase, the company will distribute 1 million phones across 6,500 tehsils. 

These smartphones are especially aimed at the segment of customers which is unable to afford expensive smartphones, facing the issue to access internet. Akash Ambani, Chairman, of Reliance Jio, commented, "There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain 'trapped' in the 2G era, unable to tap into basic features of the internet."

As the country is now moving towards 5G, the company aims to make India 2G-Mukt Bharat by selling the budget phones with internet access. 

The company has also announced the basic price of recharge plans. Jio will provide unlimited voice calls and 14GB data at just Rs. 123 per month for Jio users. 

On the other hand, the upcoming JioPhone is speculated to come in a black colourway. The dual rear camera module could be seen situated at the top centre, likely led by a 13-megapixel AI camera, accompanied with a 2-megapixel secondary lens, according to the Twitter user.