Reliance plans to launch ultra-cheap laptops. All you want to know

Six years after disrupting the telecom industry with ultra-low data plans, billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani could now be looking to do the same with laptops.

Ambani’s Reliance could be coming up with a Rs 15,000 e-notebook with a 4G SIM card embedded inside it, for internet connectivity, Reuters reported.

JioBook, as the new laptop is likely to be called, will be focussed on India’s highly price-sensitive low-end market, Reuters said. 

Jio had raised around $22 billion from global investors such as Google, Facebook, KKR and Silver Lake in 2020. The company disrupted India's mobile market when it launched cheap 4G data plans and free voice services in 2016, and later the 4G smartphone.

Has Reliance Jio partnered with anyone for the new JioBook?

The Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate has partnered with global giants Qualcomm and Microsoft for the JioBook. Qualcomm will likely provide its computing chips and the Windows operating system maker will provide support for some apps.

How many subscribers does Jio currently have?

Jio is India’s biggest telecom operator with more than 42 crore subscribers. 

Which customers will Jio target with its new laptop? By when will it be commercially available?

The laptop will be available to enterprise customers such as schools and government institutes from this month. A broader consumer launch is anticipated within the next three months.

How has Jio’s other low-cost offering, the JioPhone, done?

The handset was launched last year. Since then, it has been India's top-selling sub-$100 smartphone and accounted for a fifth of the market over the last three quarters, according to Counterpoint.

Where will the JioBook be produced?

The JioBook will be produced locally by contract manufacturer Flex. Jio aims to sell "hundreds of thousands" of units by March, according to Reuters.

Which operating system will the new device run?

The laptop will run Jio's own JioOS operating system and apps can be downloaded from the JioStore. Jio is also pitching the laptop as an alternative to tablets for out-of-office corporate employees.