- Jio develops 5G feature phone for India’s resistant market.
- Feature phone shipments grow despite smartphone dominance.
- Jio aims to bridge technology gap with innovative device.
Old school cool, new tech rules
Reliance Jio, India’s telecom behemoth, is quietly developing a 5G feature phone to capitalize on the country’s enduring love for basic mobile devices.
This strategic move comes as India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, struggles to convert millions of feature phone users into smartphone adopters.
Despite boasting 750 million smartphone users, a significant portion of the population still finds smartphones financially out of reach.
Feature phones refuse to fade away
Contrary to expectations, feature phone shipments in India grew by 10% year-on-year in 2023, reversing a previous decline.
This resilience is driven by consumers who prefer to stick with familiar, affordable devices rather than upgrading to smartphones.
Jio currently leads the 4G feature phone market with a 27% share, offering models bundled with digital services like UPI payments and popular apps.
Sources reveal that Jio is collaborating with contract manufacturers Dixon Technologies and Neolync to prototype a 5G feature phone running on KaiOS.
While still in early stages, the device could be announced at Reliance’s annual general meeting in August.
This move underscores Jio’s ambition to bridge the gap between basic phones and smartphones, potentially reshaping India’s mobile landscape once again.
