Samsung is said to be in talks with Reliance Industries (RIL) to bring LTE over high-speed 4G networks across India. The Korean giant is planning to offer entry-level 4G smartphones at a little over $100 (~ Rs 5,500) for use with RIL’s voice and internet services.
Samsung’s 3G-enabled phones can already be found in the market for around the same price. The entry-level 4G-enabled smartphones will most probably be sold with data packages starting for as low as Rs. 100. According to the source, even high-end smartphones will be made available at minimum down-payments and EMIs will be incorporated in subsequent bills with no interest rate added.
The network is planning to soft launch the service in Mumbai and Delhi by mid-2013 and a formal launch is set to be announced later this year.
Sources in the know told Times Of India:
“Samsung will not be just another vendor to RIL supplying handsets as it was when Reliance Infocomm was launched in 2002. They are seeking a much broader role. A possible joint venture could also be in the offering.” Reliance itself is not averse to the joint venture model these days, unlike in the past.
The deal will likely propel Samsung to capture the third biggest mobile market in the world, and also showcase its abilities in the US market as well. The last time Samsung made a deal with Reliance, its margins were squeezed dry. But now it is a company three times bigger than RIL in terms of sales and four times larger in terms of net profits. Perhaps a testimony to the fact that companies investing on product research and development always come ahead in the end.
Source: Times of India
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