Diwali brings with it the promise of a new beginning, and better days ahead. It is thus appropriate that the JioPhone Next — pegged as the “most affordable smartphone anywhere in the world” — should be launched on this day owing to the sheer possibilities that the device holds for improving the quality of life of India’s billion-plus citizens.
The wide availability of the Google-powered JioPhone Next — about which Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani first talked of during the Reliance AGM on June 24 — could fuel an all-embracing digital transformation in the country that could significantly bridge the huge gulf that currently separates ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’.
By putting a sophisticated, Internet-enabled phone that allows content to be consumed in 10 Indian languages within the financial reach of ordinary citizens, be they living in an urban centre or the remotest corner of the nation, the Reliance-Google combine can set a strong foundation for digital penetration to rise appreciably in India. A larger number of people could seamlessly become part of the smart technology age as not knowing the English language would no longer prove a handicap in this regard.
The JioPhone Next could, thus, act as the passport to a better tomorrow for countless Indians for whom the digital divide has often acted as the biggest stumbling block in their quest for a better quality of life. By democratising access to information, the JioPhone Next could emerge as a powerful empowerment tool enabling vulnerable sections of the population, including the economically marginalised, and rural women, to participate in and, also, contribute to the process of India’s growth and development.
An immediate benefit of the availability of the JioPhone Next could be witnessed in the school education segment. Given the ever-looming likelihood of India being hit by a third COVID-19 wave, and the resultant possibility of offline classes at schools being stopped once more, the affordability of the JioPhone Next could ensure that students whose families are economically stressed can also gain access to online education. The launch of this smartphone model could, in addition, provide a booster shot to the mobile phone retail sector nationwide for quite some time to come.
Seen from another standpoint, the JioPhone Next launch could have significant implications for several flagship initiatives of the government such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. It could also have important connotations for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat agenda.
The success of the JioPhone Next — whose optimised version of the Android operating system is aptly named ‘Pragati’ (progress) — would be a ringing endorsement of the fact that it is possible to make global best-in-class products in India, and at one go silence all those who feel that our country does not have what it takes to take on China in the manufacturing space. This, in turn, could encourage more international marquee names to consider setting up manufacturing facilities in India leading to the creation of more and better-quality jobs for our workforce.
The ‘Digital India’ movement could receive a fillip through across the board availability of the JioPhone Next resulting in more people undertaking digital transactions, and greater private investments likely, thereby, coming in to build digital infrastructure to cash in on the potential business opportunity. For the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission, the JioPhone Next could contribute to the strengthening of all five pillars — economy, infrastructure, technology-driven system, vibrant demography, and demand — on which rests our ambitions of creating a self-reliant India.
Over the years, Reliance has stood out from its peers because of its willingness to first go after and then realise what seemed impossible goals at the start. Given the buzz that it has already created among all stakeholders, it would hardly be a surprise if the JioPhone Next becomes the latest addition to Reliance’s ever-growing list of success stories.
Sumali Moitra is a current affairs commentator. Twitter: @sumalimoitra. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Disclosure: Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
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