Given the scale of operations for China Mobile, handset manufacturers have been much more aggressive on reducing 4G handset costs. More than 3,250 user devices are now available for LTE services with starting price point of USD ~65. RJio suggests that 422 operators have launched LTE services in 143 countries.
Notably, 70 operators have launched VoLTE services in 10 countries. Also, the company sounds confident on its VoLTE offering. RJio also highlights that LTE enables inter-operability across bands and also allows interconnection with other technologies (such as 2G/3G). The timing for RJio's launch seems appropriate from eco-system perspective.
RJio also highlights that LTE enables inter-operability across bands and also allows interconnection with other technologies (such as 2G/3G). The timing for RJio's launch seems appropriate from eco-system perspective. That said, we remain concerned about proliferation about VoLTE-enabled handsets. A very small % of LTE phones is VoLTE-enabled. RJio has likely launched its brand LYF
to ensure availability of such handsets, but how it evolves need watching.
