Reliance JioPhone at Rs 0: Twitter rejoices launch of 4G-enabled handset

You can get it for a security deposit of Rs 1,500, refundable after three years on return of phone

Industrialist Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd announced the launch of 'effective smartphone' JioPhone, which will be available for beta testing from August 15. Buyers can get this “effectively cost zero” smartphone for a one-time security deposit of Rs 1,500, which will be refunded after 3 years on the return of the phone.
 

The phone will be available for pre-booking from August 24, said Reliance chairman, billionaire Mukesh Ambani at the petrochemicals-to-retail conglomerate’s annual general meeting (AGM). The phone will support 22 languages.
 

The phone will be given away on a first come first served basis. It will be available for all from September. JioPhone, which is targetted at the 50 crore feature phone users in the country, will offer free voice calls and SMS to customers. For 4G data, customers need to pay Rs 153 per month.
 

As soon as the announcement was done, Twitterati got engaged in celebrating the launch. Few users congratulated Ambani for the move. The announcement was trending on social media. 
 

Few users also criticised the move. Other managed to find some witty angle.
 

Here's how Twitter reacted to the news: