The on contract smartphone system has been pretty successful in the developed countries such as the United States and Canada. Apple seems to have nicely worked on with the operators (at least Reliance) to finally offer a similar system in India as well.
The Details
Reliance customers can opt for a 2-year contract, under which the 16GB iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C can be had for a super thin 0 upfront. For the interested ones, iPhone 5S will cost a bill of ₹2999 every month for 24 months, whereas if you’re into buying the slightly cheaper iPhone 5C, you will be needed to pay ₹2599 per month for a period of 24 months.
The monthly charge will include the supposed EMI for the phone as well as an Unlimited Plan which will include unlimited calling, texting (SMS) and 3G data. So you certainly don’t have to pay any extra penny for the usage after the contract begins.
The iPhone(s) purchased under contract will come locked to Reliance’s network, which means that it won’t be possible to use any other SIM card in them. Whether Reliance will offer unlock codes if the subscriber wishes to make full payment is something still unknown.
The off-contract price of 16GB iPhone 5S is supposed to be ₹53500, whereas the iPhone 5C is expected at around ₹41900. 32 and 64 Gb versions of the iPhone can be purchased as well, but that will include an upfront fees along with monthly charges.
Other Operators?
Other operators such as Airtel and Aircel will also offer the iPhone through their retail counters, but there’s no info about any contracts from their side. So certainly Reliance is the only operator offering the contracts for now.
