Mukesh Ambani had made many important announcements in Reliance Jio AGM, so the company can now set up its plant here in a city in India to make this phone. The phone is also in discussion because it is being made in collaboration with Google.
Reliance Industries is all set to work on the world’s cheapest smartphone – JioPhone Next, as announced by the company during its 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently. The new smartphone to be made in collaboration with Google will be manufactured in Gujarat, India. This partnership builds on Google’s earlier investment in Jio of over Rs 33,000 crore. As per the collaboration, the two big companies will manufacture JioPhone Next and enable it with an operating system designed by Google.
Now news is coming that this smartphone will be made in Gujarat. A new Dainik Bhaskar report, citing sources in the Gujarat state government, claims that Google representatives had earlier visited the state to look at possible locations to set up the plant.
According to sources, a new manufacturing unit can be set up in Dholera Special Investment Region (Dholera SIR). The Gujarat government is already promoting Dholera as a smart city project to many companies across the world. Some Google executives had recently visited Gujarat and talked about the potential. A final decision in place will help the state government end the prolonged drought of foreign investment since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scale of the investment is not yet clear, but it is a possible scenario in which Google and Jio are looking at Gujarat as a manufacturing hub for the upcoming smartphones. Since the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited Mukesh Ambani had indicated a launch date for the smartphone in early September, it is likely that the work on the manufacturing plant will start very soon.
The discovery of JioPhone Next will require a major collaboration between Google and Jio, as both seek to sweep the digital revolution in India. Ultimately, the goal is to provide 5G connectivity and services to as many Indians as possible.
