Billionaire Bets That a $12 Mobile Phone Can Get More of the World’s Most Populous Country Online

Even as 5G mobile networks begin to expand in India, about half of the countrys 1.4 billion people remain disconnected from the Internet. . Billionaire Mukesh Ambani is betting a new web-enabled mobile phone that costs about $12 can change that and win yet more customers for his dominant wireless-network provider..

The device, launched in July by Ambanis Reliance Jio Infocomm, resembles the simple, durable Nokia phones from decades past..

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," Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambanis son and the chairman of Reliance Jio, said when launching the phone..

Reliance Jio hasnt released sales figures, but Pathak estimates that in July and August nearly one in five devices sold in Indias least expensive category of mobile phones, which typically cost about $15, were JioBharat devices..

. Customers are likely attracted to the JioBharats low price, pre-installed apps, and low data costs, Pathak says.However, we believe that it is still a long road ahead for Jio to capture over 200 million 2G users," he says, given challenges such as limited battery life and small screen size. ..

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