iPhone 5C & iPhone 5S Free On 2 Years Contract With Reliance India – What’s the Catch?

“Free Apple iPhone 5c / iPhone 5s in India”  this talk is trending the telecom industry now. Yes, two great tech legends join together and make Apple iPhone affordable for all the Indians. Apple and Rcom signed the agreement to make the latest and recently released iPhone 5c / 5s in India under two years contract. It would be a big deals for most of the Indian’s. Rcom is well known for the activity of making phone in the hands of all Indians by providing CDMA phone in very low cost, most of the Indians will remember that. That activity made a great revolution in the mobile industry of India at that time.

As per the latest news in the HBL Reliance communication confirmed and released the official announcement over the distribution of  iPhone 5c / 5s for their customers under the two years contract. As per the contract, Reliance Communications provide the 16 GB iPhone 5c free for the fixed monthly rental plan of 2599 INR this includes unlimited voice calls, unlimited SMS , and unlimited 3G data usage and iPhone 5s for 2999 INR including unlimited calls , sms and 3g data usage. The subscriber must stay 2 years with the Rcom. The 32GB and 64GB versions are also available with an upfront fee of Rs.10,992 and Rs.19,992 respectively in addition to the monthly charges.

The complete Plan details mentioned by Rcom for iPhone is shown below

If you want to subscribe this offer, you should need a credit card from any of these banks: HDFC, ICICI, Standard Charted ,CITI.

If  you didn’t have the credit card with the required credit balance or you are not the card holder, Rcom have a alternate for those kind. You can pay the total 2 year subscription in advance and get the iPhone along with the unlimited usage.

iPhone’s provided by Rcom is not locked to Rcom

This offer is similar to purchasing iPhone using EMI option familiar to all but pre-loaded with unlimited call, SMS and 3G data usage.

Is it make success ?

Apple until now not manufacture a special board for the network locked phones so it is easy to unlock the phone. This will make great loss for the operators, if some one buys and unlocks the phone for using other network SIM. For this issue reliance makes an agreement with the credit card providers and they will receive monthly payment via credit card and sum of whole two year subscription price will be blocked from the credit limit of the CC. This ensure that Rcom will not suffer any losses.

The second thing is, Through this scheme Indian huge prepaid customers will convert their prepaid to the postpaid and makes them to pay lump some money is an another tough task. Only one fifth of the total mobile users are postpaid subscribers, rest are with prepaid. So comparing the market size it will not make such a revolution in mobile market.

The third thing is, In India compared to apple, android fills more than 80% of the market and also available in the affordable features and all price range. So its also tough to make this apple iPhone as an alternate and a default phone of the subscriber.

Some Suggestion over Rcom’s iPhone

• Before go for the buying, check whether your area have the Rcom’s 3G service. Click here to check. If you are not having 3G service in your area then decide how it would be. iPhone without internet connection. It’s really horrible.
• If you are a person who pay mobile bill more than Rs.1500 and holding the credit card with the apt limit to get into the Rcom’s contract, then this will be apt plan for you with unlimited calls and data usage.
• If you are a more data user, not using more calls this is not for you because the unlimited data plans are available in all network for average of Rs.800.
• If you are paying or spending less than Rs.1500 for mobile usage this offer won’t suits you. You can purchase a iPhone in normal EMI scheme available in the market which is nearly equal to the monthly bill of the Rcom.