RJio Monsoon Hungama: JioPhone at Rs 594 with free data, calls for 6 months

While the company is offering effectively free JioPhone at a refundable security deposit of Rs 501, the feature phone comes bundled with six months unlimited free data and voice at Rs 594

Reliance Jio, a Mukesh Ambani-owned telecommunication service provider, is gearing up to launch the second iteration of its 4G VoLTE-enabled feature phone – the JioPhone 2 – on August 15. However, before rolling out the new device, the company has announced ‘JioPhone Monsoon Hungama’ offer in which the company is offering an effectively free JioPhone, in exchange of any other feature phone, at a refundable security deposit of Rs 501; Rs 999 less than the original security deposit of Rs 1,500.

RJio Monsoon Hungama offer details

With the Jio Monsoon Hungama offer, the company also announced a Rs 99 exclusive recharge plan for JioPhone users that comes bundled with the JioPhone. While the company is offering JioPhone at a security deposit of Rs 501, the feature phone comes bundled with six months unlimited free data and voice at Rs 594 (Rs 99 x 6). This means, customers will need to shell out Rs 1,095 (Rs 501 refundable security + Rs 594 recharge) upfront to get the JioPhone bundled with six months of unlimited calls and data in exchange of their old feature phone.

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Eligible devices for exchange

Any mobile phone purchased after January 1, 2015 in working condition without any missing part or damage, broken and burnt area is eligible for exchange with Reliance JioPhone.

However, JioPhone or any CDMA or operator locked phones are not eligible and will not be accepted for exchange, according to Reliance Jio.

For exchange only the phone, along with battery and charger, is required and other accessories such as headphones, box, screen guard, etc. are not required. Users can also check if their device is eligible for exchange at Jio.com.

Existing Jio SIM users or other users on other operators

The JioPhone is a SIM-locked feature phone that works only on Jio 4G VoLTE network. Therefore, even the existing Jio network subscribers would require a new connection to operate the JioPhone. For subscribers on other networks, if they wish to retain their number, they can port their number using mobile number portability option to Jio network to use it with JioPhone.

JioPhone 2

In the 41st Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani announced the JioPhone 2, which is an upgraded version of the JioPhone, with horizontal screen and BlackBerry-inspired physical QWERTY keyboard. The phone will be available starting August 15 at an introductory price of Rs 2,999.

JioPhone 2, Jio GigaFibre, Jio GigaTV announced: Things you need to know

Mukesh Ambani said upgraded JioPhones will have social media applications such as YouTube and Facebook, along with instant messaging service Whatsapp.

Mukesh Ambani on Thursday announced the launch of JioPhone 2, Jio fixed broadband services (Jio GigaFibre) and Jio Digital TV services (Jio GigaTV set-top box) at the company’s 41st annual general meeting, which was held in Mumbai. The company also said its upgraded JioPhones will have social media applications such as YouTube and Facebook, along with instant messaging service Whatsapp.

JioPhone 2

Like JioPhone, the JioPhone 2 is also a KaiOS-based 4G VoLTE-enabled feature phone, but with a full QWERTY keyboard and a wide horizontal screen. The phone sports a 2.4 QVGA screen, 4-way navigation key with a dedicated key for voice commands, dual-SIM slots and microSD card slot. In terms of specifications, the phone boasts 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal space, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. Powering the phone is a 2,000 mAh battery, and the phone features in-build FM, NFC, GPS and Wi-Fi. The JioPhone 2 will also have access to social media applications such as YouTube and Facebook, along with instant messaging service WhatsApp. The phone will be available starting from August 15 at an introductory price of Rs 2,999.

After running trials at select cities, Mukesh Ambani on Thursday announced Jio’s fixed-line broadband services, which would be launched in 1,100 cities simultaneously for homes, merchants and small and medium enterprises and large enterprises. According to the company, Jio GigaFibre services would offer internet speed of up to one gigabyte per second (Gbps). The company did not announce the launch date or plans, but interested users can register their interest for Jio GigaFibre services on Jio web portal starting August 15. The locality that shows major interest would be among the first locations to get Jio’s home broadband services, according to Mukesh Ambani.

ALSO READ: Broadband stocks fall as RIL announces launch of JioGigaFibre

Jio GigaTV

Jio’s digital television content services is a part of GigaFibre internet services. The GigaTV set-top-box would offer internet-based digital content services, along with access to Jio’s app suite. Interestingly, the set-top-box would also support a video calling feature, which would allow users to make video calls from their televisions. It is still to be seen how the feature would work as the televisions currently does not support camera, in-build or external. The GigaTV remote would be voice-enabled, which would make it work with voice commands – something similar to how the Amazon’s Fire Stick remote works.