Reliance Jio has already brought about a revolution in the telecom sector, and a new report suggests that it’s now eyeing the laptop market. The company is apparently looking to launch a laptop with 4G SIM card support.
Such connected laptops have slowly begun emerging over the past few months from brands like HP, Asus, and Lenovo. Dubbed “Always Connected PCs,” these devices are powered by Qualcomm processors and run on Windows 10. The idea is to provide connectivity and portability without being dependent on a dongle or Wi-Fi network.
According to ETTelecom, Reliance Jio is in talks with Qualcomm to bring these cellular Windows 10 notebooks to India. The pair have worked together before on the former’s JioPhone 4G feature handset. The latter has confirmed that it’s held discussions with the telecom brand, suggesting that the company will bundle the device with data and content.
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Reliance is also reportedly in touch with domestic manufacturer Smartron to produce Snapdragon 835-running laptops with cellular connectivity. The second has also verified the talks. The operator itself hasn’t confirmed the product yet.
4G SIM card compatible laptops haven’t made a huge impact in India yet, but may well become the next big thing for the telecom market. It would provide an additional source of revenue beyond smartphones. Plus, laptop users generally require more data.
Over 5 million notebooks are sold in India every year according to Counterpoint Research, with most relying on enterprise, home, or public Wi-Fi spots. Adding cellular data to that mix could be a game changer, if the price is right on the hardware and network front.
