Reliance to Develop Budget 5G Smartphone With Google, Announces $25 Billion 5G Network Plan

Reliance 5G smartphone was announced by the company at the 45th Annual General Meeting on Monday. Reliance said that it is working with Google to launch a budget 5G smartphone. The company also revealed its $25 billion (roughly 2 lakh crore) plan for introducing the next-generation 5G services in India within two months. During Reliance’s 45th AGM, Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that Jio’s 5G network will be the largest in the world. The Jio 5G services will be soon launched in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, before being expanded across India by December next year.

According to Reuters, the new Reliance smartphone being developed with Google would be “ultra-affordable”. The cheapest 5G phones retail for around $150 (roughly Rs. 12,000) currently in India.

During the AGM, Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani displayed the new Jio AirFiber and Jio Cloud PC. The Jio AirFiber allows users to access high-speed Internet using wireless networks at home and at offices. Meanwhile, Jio Cloud PC can be termed as a virtual PC hosted in the cloud with the help of Jio True 5G connectivity.

On the other hand, the 5G connectivity is expected to offer up to 10 times faster data speeds than 4G connections which is believed to be vital for emerging technologies AI and self-driving cars. According to a recent report, Jio became the top bidder at the $19 billion (roughly Rs. 1.5 lakh crore) 5G spectrum auction in India by splashing out $11 billion (roughly Rs. 87,000 crore).

In 2016, Reliance disrupted India’s 4G telecom market by launching cheap data plans and free voice services. The company also released the JioPhone Next budget smartphone in India that had a launch price of Rs. 6,499.