BENGALURU, Sep 10 (Reuters) – Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has delayed the launch of a low-cost smartphone it is developing with Google to November, citing an industry-wide semiconductor shortage.
The “ultra-affordable” phone, jointly developed by the telecommunications division of Reliance and Google, was due to hit the market on September 10.
Companies around the world face a huge shortage of chips, as the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced thousands of people to telecommute, has driven demand for this essential component for the manufacture of laptops and phones. As a consequence, several automakers have also suspended production.
“Both companies have begun testing the JioPhone Next with a limited set of users to perfect it and are actively working to make it more widely available in time for the Diwali holiday season,” Jio said in a statement at the latest. Thursday time.
The annual holiday season in India typically lasts 30 days, beginning in October and ending with Diwali, which this year is celebrated on November 4. Indians tend to make large expenses during this period, from jewelry to gadgets and cars.
The additional time will also help mitigate the current global semiconductor shortage in the sector, Jio added.
When the phone was announced in June, Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani did not specify its price, but said it would be the most affordable ‘smartphone’ “not only in India, but worldwide.”
Jio disrupted the Indian telecom market in 2016 when it launched discounted data plans and free voice services, forcing several competitors to exit the market. It is now the largest mobile phone operator in India, with more than 425 million customers.
Ambani had also said in June that Jio, which counts Facebook, Qualcomm and Intel among its backers, was confident of being the first company to launch 5G services in India.
(Report by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; edited by Uttaresh.V; translated by Darío Fernández)