iWorld
Sub Rs 3K LYF 4G smartphones
MUMBAI: Bringing Mukesh Ambani’s vision of digitising the entire country to get its people to use the internet a step closer to fruition, LYF Smartphone+, the True 4G smartphone brand from Reliance Retail, has pushed the envelope of affordability in the Indian smartphone space by announcing a very aggressive price of Rs. 2999 on four of its Flame models – Flame 3, Flame 4, Flame 5 and Flame 6. This move also resonates with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a digitally-connected India says a Reliance Retail press release.
The Indian device ecosystem always featured a clear line of distinction between smartphone users and featurephone users with price acting as a major barrier. With the introduction of 4G smartphones at a price which rivals that of featurephones, LYF has made it easy for featurephone users to upgrade to smartphones.
Like all LYF devices, the Flame series too offers smartphones equipped with VoLTE, or voice over LTE — a technology that enables the device to provide advanced features such as faster call setup, high-definition (HD) voice and video calling, seamless switching between voice and video calls and multi-party conferencing on a 4G LTE network.
The dual-SIM slots, a characteristic feature of every Flame phone, allow users to simultaneously use a 4G SIM in either of the slots. Further, all LYF devices come with a free Jio preview offer, under which every user buying a LYF phone gets access to the entire range of Jio services, Flame series provides a platform for users to migrate from older networks such as 2G or 3G to the more advanced 4G ecosystem. In addition to this, Flame series also offer smart aesthetic features and superior hardware technology claims the Reliance Retail release.
With all the models being equipped with a primary camera and also a front camera, or a selfie-shooter, Flame series allows users to shoot images of all types with a range of photography features such as HDR, panorama, face detection, smile shutter, burst mode, slow motion video, metering, white balance, anti-banding and ISO.
Will the competition, especially the Chinese smartphone manufacturers for whom India is a focus market, react with aggressive price points? Only time can tell. The Indian consumer will definitely benefit with lower priced smartphones, bringing closer the mission of Indian political and industry leaders to have every Indian connected.
Also read:
Reliance Retail launches LYF Wind 5 smartphone
Reliance Jio’s mid-segment LYF Water 5 smartphone launches on Amazon
iWorld
Jio IPO faces delay as India yet to clear listing rule changes
Proposed rule change allows mega IPOs to float just 2.5 per cent
MUMBAI: The Indian government’s delay in formalising changes to listing rules may derail the targeted timeline for the initial public offering (IPO) of Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
According to media reports, Reliance is awaiting formal notification of regulatory amendments before appointing investment bankers and filing a draft IPO prospectus. The company is now aiming to submit the draft prospectus before April, depending on when the government issues the notification.
Jio, which owns India’s largest wireless operator, is widely seen as one of the crown jewels of Ambani’s business empire. Its listing, the first public offering of a major Reliance unit in nearly two decades, could become the country’s biggest ever IPO.
Investment bankers have proposed a valuation of as much as $170 billion for the company. Even the minimum stake sale could raise roughly $4.3 billion, potentially placing Jio among India’s most valuable listed companies.
Ambani had earlier said that Reliance was targeting a listing of Jio in the first half of 2026, a plan first outlined in 2019 with a five-year timeline. In 2020, global technology groups Meta Platforms and Alphabet invested more than $10 billion combined in the company.
The delay stems from pending regulatory changes approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in September. The amendments allow companies with a post-issue market capitalisation exceeding Rs 5 trillion (about $55 billion) to float as little as 2.5 per cent of equity in an IPO, compared with the current 5 per cent minimum.
Such changes are expected to enable mega listings, including potential offerings by Jio and the National Stock Exchange of India. However, the reforms still require formal notification from the government.
Meanwhile, the National Stock Exchange is moving ahead with plans to raise as much as $2.5 billion through its own IPO and has recently invited banks to pitch for roles in the offering.
