Jio on Monday launched internet-enabled Jio Bharat phones at Rs 999, packing-in cheaper monthly plan of Rs 123 for unlimited voice calls and 14 GB data.

The new offering aims to accelerate the ‘2G Mukt Bharat’ vision, as India still has 250 million mobile subscribers trapped in the 2G era with feature phones.

While India is leading the 5G revolution on one side with the transformational Jio True 5G network, there is a section of society that is unable to reap the benefits of digital technology in entirety.

“Jio Bharat is being launched with the objective of empowering every Indian with the power of digital services, especially those who cannot afford a smartphone. This will truly mark the beginning of digital freedom for the 250 million feature phone users in India and will bridge the digital divide,” Jio said in a statement.

Beta trial for first 1 million Jio Bharat phones starts from July 7, 2023.

Besides Reliance Retail, other phone brands (starting with Karbonn) will adopt the ‘Jio Bharat platform’ to build ‘Jio Bharat phones’.

Jio Bharat is priced at Rs 999, “the lowest entry price for an internet-enabled phone”, it said.

It is offering 30 per cent cheaper monthly plan and 7 times more data compared to feature phone offerings of other operators.

“Rs 123 per month for unlimited voice calls and 14 GB data, compared to other operators’ Rs 179 plan for voice calls and 2GB data,” the statement added.

Lately, the digital disempowerment and disparity for feature phone users has become worse, with other telecom operators increasing the minimum price to stay connected, the statement said, adding even basic voice services for a 30-day period, which used to cost Rs 99 previously, now costs Rs 199.