The ‘effectively free’ 4G VoLTE JioPhone was bound to get its share of attention. However, no one had estimated that it would reach top levels of interest even before it makes it to the hands of users. The phone went up for bookings on August 24, and as per the official website, further requests have been stalled owing to the high demand. If industry sources are to be believed, Reliance Retail Limited booked over 6 million JioPhone units within a day of the phone going up for booking.
As per the sources, the company further registered 10 million expressions of interest for the JioPhone. The Reliance JioPhone, many might argue is meant for the rural populace, given the digital divide. However, these numbers are a collective figure from across the country with equal participation from metros, smaller towns, and rural areas.
Bookings for the JioPhone are currently halted, but customers can still register their interest, and will be notified about the availability of the phone on a priority basis when the booking process resumes. Although the official website does not explicitly mention as to when the customers who have already booked the device will get it delivered. As per sources, the deliveries will commence as planned during the period of Navratri, which falls in September.
Although there is still a lack of clarity on when exactly the bookings will resume, a few retailers expect it to be delayed till the end of September. However, there are others who indicate the second round of booking could start by next week. As the phone will be sold on a priority basis, we can expect the deliveries to be executed in the same manner.

To recall, to buy a JioPhone, you will be required to pay an amount of Rs 1,500, which is fully refundable after a period of three years. This, as the company claims, is to avoid misuse of the scheme and special benefits with Jio apps and data plan. As for the specifications, the JioPhone runs KaiOS and is pre-loaded with Jio apps. In addition to that, the JioPhone includes 4GB of expandable internal storage, 2-megapixel rear camera, NFC support, and a 2,000mAh battery that is claimed to offer 15 days of standby