Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.'s Rs 999 'Jio Bharat' phone will increase competition as billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled operator targets 25 crore low-cost 2G users of rivals Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Idea Ltd.
The users will get unlimited voice calls and 14 GB of data for Rs 123 per month. The annual plan will cost Rs 1,234 for 168 GB data.
The new phone will likely increase competition in the feature phone space, according to brokerages. These new tariff plans are 30% cheaper than competitor plans and offer access to the JioCinema OTT app, JioPay, and JioSaavn music app, BofA Securities said in a note on July 4. "Through the '2G-Mukt Bharat' initiative, Jio aims to upgrade feature phones to the new Jio Bharat OS platform."
Here's what brokerages have to say on the new Reliance Jio internet-enabled 'Jio Bharat' Phones
BofA Securities
Jio's new plans are likely to increase the competitive intensity in this market, as users may now be enticed to move to these plans, BofA securities said.
The research firm considers the launch of Jio Bharat' phone to be a much simpler and most aggressive offering.
BofA Securities believes unlike the previous Jio's offerings, which were bundled and where users had to return phones, this one is cleaner with no frills attached.
These plans are aimed at targeting 250 million feature phones that are on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea 2G feature phone offerings.
The research firm maintains a 'buy' rating on Reliance Industries Ltd. and 'underperform' rating on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
JPMorgan
The research firm said, the new phone could disrupt the 2G market and help Jio gain market share post fading success of JioPhone devices.
JP Morgan believes with this phone can take Jio market share at the lower end of the market. And this also puts Bharti Airtel at risk as it can see increased churn from its recent 2G price action of increasing the Rs 99 plan to Rs 155 plan.
Jio already had become aggressive at the premium end of subs in Mar 2023 through aggressive postpaid plan launch, and the July 3 event showcases its aggressiveness towards the lower end of the subs spectrum as well, the research firm said
This is negative for Bharti Airtel and maintains an 'under-weight' rating on the stocks, the note said. " We believe a combination of higher 5G capex, a lack of tariff hikes and deflation in premium average revenue per users will drive down return on invested capital for Bharti", it said.
Jefferies
Jio's new device offering is aimed at gaining share among the 250 million 2G users in India as both the device and the service have been priced at an attractive 20-30% discount.
"We believe Jio's current offering is more likely aimed at the replacement featurephone market," Jefferies said in a note.
The research firm added, with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea raising voice tariffs by nearly 80%, Jio's new offering is likely to boost its market share among featurephone users.
Bharti Airtel dominates the 2G market with 54% subscriber market share, the new 'Jio Bharat' Phone is likely to see a higher impact of this move, the note said.
It also said Bharti Airtel may lose 11 million subscribers a year. "This may impact its India/consolidated revenues by 1-2% and India/consolidated Ebitda by 1.5-2.5%",the note said.
Jio's moves of coming out with attractive offerings on both postpaid and voice segments at a time when Vodafone Idea's cashflow pressures are mounting, these suggest that the market may consolidate into an effective duopoly sooner.
Emkay Global Financial Services
Jio Bharat is a more focused product for the target market with its primary focus on unlimited voice and flavors of the digital ecosystem via in-house apps like JioCinema, JioSaavn and JioUPI.
The launch brings together network and device capabilities to offer internet-enabled phones at affordable prices for the masses.
The previous Jio Phone had helped transition over 100 million 2G users to data networks and Jio Bharat can transition over 100 million users if there are no supply chain or product-performance hiccups.
Emkay Global noted that the new Jio Phone could be a potent risk to the current 2G base of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL.
Citi Research
The research firm said given the phone's Rs 999 upfront price tag, it may initially appeal only to those looking to buy a new feature phone and may not immediately disrupt Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea's 2G base.
Jio remains focused on further expanding its subscriber base. Additionally, this development could arguably signal reduced probability of a tariff hike in the near term.
Morgan Stanley
Jio Bharat will have a lock-in feature whereby users can only use the phone on the Reliance Jio network. Assuming a user has to invest an additional Rs 999 to buy a phone to migrate to the Reliance Jio network, Morgan Stanley said in a note.
The research firm do not view the new launch as immediately disruptive for Bharti Airtel, but will wait and watch the success in beta trials of Jio Bharat phones, it said.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.