HMD Global Considering Rolling Out 4G LTE On Nokia 3310
HMD Global who's in partnership with Nokia is considering to release a 4G version of the 3310 feature phone which will be launched in India, this is to compete against the Jio feature phone which Jio phone already have.
The company's executives are keeping an eye on how the Jio feature phone performs in the market. Taking you back in May this year Nokia re-introduced its iconic 3310 handset in the Indian market.
Unfortunately, the device came with 2G support. Last month Nokia launched a 3G variant of the 3310 in Australia.
However, Nokia may not launch the 3G variant of the Nokia 3310 in India, Nigeria and some other countries due to lack of interest in 3G devices in those countries.
Ever since Reliance Jio declared the 4G VoLTE featuring Jio phone in India, there have been reports of several telecom operators and smartphone makers working on a 4G feature phone.
To recollect, the Jio feature phone comes with 4G VoLTE support and has been priced at ₹1500, which the company will return after a period of 3 years.
The Vice President for India HMD Global (Ajay Mehta) said, “Jio Phone is definitely going to have an impact on the segment, and there is no question about it. We are watching how this materialises. If we see a viable business proposition, we will definitely consider it and participate”.
However, it'll be exciting if Nokia decides to launch a 4G feature phone considering that telecom operators like Airtel and Idea smartphone makers such as Intex and Lava are reported to be working on a 4G VoLTE enabled feature phone.
Analysts say the present market situation is favourable for Nokia to re-enter the feature phone segment and after the huge success of the Jio Phone.
It goes without saying that the HMD executives will be more than happy to re-establish the strong foothold that Nokia once enjoyed in India.
Furthermore, Ajay Mehta added that “If there is a business opportunity, for sure we are open to it, our brand is very strong”.