Reliance AGM 2021: Mukesh Ambani unveils JioPhone Next 'most affordable smartphone'

Mukesh Ambani revealed the JioPhone Next—an affordable smartphone co-developed with Google that is aimed at first-time internet users at the 44th annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday.

The phone will be available in the market from September 10, 2021. “JioPhone Next will be by far the most affordable smartphone globally,” Ambani said.

The phone will be powered by a highly optimised version of Android, Ambani said. JioPhone Next is powered by an optimized version of Android OS jointly developed by Jio and Google.

“JioPhone Next is a fully-featured smartphone supporting the entire suite of applications from both Google and Jio,” Ambani said.

Jio to collaborate with Google Cloud for 5G solutions

Google-parent Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai said that they will tie-up with Reliance Jio in a new 5G partnership.

“A new 5G partnership between Google Cloud and Jio will help more than a billion Indians connect to a faster internet, support businesses in digital transformation, and lay foundation for next phase of India’s digitisation,” Pichai said.

“As part of this collaboration, Reliance will also shift its core retail businesses to Google Cloud’s infrastructure. They will be able take advantage of Google’s AI and machine learning, e-commerce, and demand forecasting offerings. Harnessing the reliability and performance of Google Cloud will enable these businesses to scale up as needed to respond to customer demand,” he added.

Last year, Google had announced an investment of Rs 33,737 crore for a 7.7% stake in Reliance Industries’ technology venture Jio Platforms. The tech giant had also teamed up on technology initiatives, including the development of affordable smartphones for the price-sensitive, tech-savvy Indian market.

On JioMart

RIL chairman said that Reliance Jio is doing a trial run with Facebook to integrate JioMart with WhatsApp. The initial response from customers has been encouraging, he said.