Bangalore — Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has postponed the launch of low-cost smartphones being developed by Google to November due to a shortage of semiconductors across the industry.
The “super-affordable” smartphone, co-developed by Reliance’s Telecom division and Google, was scheduled to go on sale on September 10.
The move to pandemic-led remote work for COVID-19 has increased the demand for critical components used in the manufacture of laptops and phones, and companies around the world are tackling a major semiconductor shortage. As a fallout, some automakers have also stopped production.
“The two companies have begun testing the Jio Phone Next with a limited number of users and are actively working to improve it and make it more widely available in time for the Diwali season,” said Jio. Stated. Exchange declaration Late Thursday.
India’s annual holiday season usually lasts 30 days, starting in October and ending in Diwali, set on November 4, this year. Indians usually make expensive purchases from jewelry to gadgets and cars during this time.
The additional time will also help alleviate the current global semiconductor shortage across the industry, Jio added.
When the phone was announced in June, Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani did not specify a price, but said it would be the most affordable smartphone “not only in India but globally.”
Jio has confused the Indian telecommunications market, which launched discounted data plans and free voice services in 2016, and has pushed some competitors out of the market. Currently, it is India’s largest mobile operator with more than 425 million customers.
Ambani also said in June that Jio, which counts Facebook, Qualcomm and Intel as backers, is confident that it will launch the first 5G service in India.
