Qualcomm announces collaboration with Jio to launch 5G smartphones under $99 by the end of this year

Qualcomm, a US-based chipmaker, is aggressively tapping into the Indian market. The company plans to introduce a new chipset that will enable it to launch entry-level 5G smartphones priced below $99 by the end of this year.

A Qualcomm executive said the latest chipset could encourage 2G users in India to switch to smartphone-enabled 5G environments.

Qualcomm also collaborates with India’s top carrier Reliance Jio and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop and launch mobile phones.

Qualcomm executives said the Gigabit 5G smartphone handset will support the 5G standalone architecture currently offered by Jio.

Gigabit 5G smartphones are equipped with low-cost customized dedicated processors with SA-2Rx functionality to deliver Gigabit speeds on 5G networks.

“With our new chipset, we want to offer a complete 5G experience to consumers looking for an affordable smartphone. This product is inspired by India… is pretty focused on the transition between 4G and 5G, so for us it’s about how to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible and for handset developers, carriers and end consumers. to ensure that we have a product that is truly optimized for the market,” Chris Patrick, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and general manager of handsets, told Moneycontrol on the sidelines of an event in Barcelona. Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024.

MWC 2024 will be held in this Spanish city from February 26th to 29th.

Transition from 2G to 5G

He said the latest chipsets could encourage 2G users in India to switch to smartphone support in 5G environments. “Consumers can go directly from 2G to 5G.”

Qualcomm said its Indian research and development (R&D) team worked hard to develop the new chipset. “Our local teams lead most of our global products, especially our teams in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The scale of our handset business is huge.”

“…ecosystem partners from Jio to OEMs are critical to bringing successful 5G devices to new price points that India has not yet seen,” Savi Soin, president of Qualcomm India, said separately at Moneycontrol. told. “…chips alone won’t work. Being an SA (stand-alone) proprietary product, we need strong partners, especially telcos. We need the right incentives from telcos to get OEMs on board. .”

Qualcomm executives believe affordable 5G smartphones will transform the market in India and globally.

Citing GSMA data, Qualcomm executives said 5G smartphones priced under $99 could bring 5G to up to 2.8 billion people around the world, including India.

Soin said Qualcomm is ramping up its developer efforts in India to develop use cases. “I’m looking for developers of apps for mobile phones that drive use cases that people need.”

(The reporter is in Barcelona to cover Mobile World Congress 2024 at the invitation of Xiaomi)