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There are about 250 million feature phone users in India, and many of them still use 2G phones and only for voice calls, according to the International Data Corporation

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The world may be moving on to super-fast internet speeds on 5G or even 6G, but masses in rural India are still stuck in the 2G era.

All that could change with a new $12 phone from Reliance Jio this week.

The telecommunications arm of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, has opened the door for more people to gain access to the internet through the launch of its new internet-enabled phone with a 4G mobile network. Feature phones are essentially non-smartphones that have a push-button keypad and a small non-touch display.

Reliance Jio’s new feature phone aims to reduce the mobile connectivity gap between rural and urban India by giving non-smartphone users a cheaper alternative to switch from 2G to 4G mobile networks. 

“There are still 250 million mobile phone users in India who remain trapped in the 2G era, unable to tap into basic features of the internet at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution,” Reliance Jio’s Chairman Akash Ambani said in a press release. 

5G refers to the next-generation mobile networks that offer data at very high speeds, and are needed to support advanced technologies like driverless cars and virtual reality.

The new phone, named Jio Bharat, serves as an entry-level phone for first time internet users that would just rely on the basic functions without being convoluted by the endless number of applications that can be found on a smartphone, Varun Mishra, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said. 

India is already the world’s second-largest smartphone market and is likely to add 300 million new internet users, making it the fastest country to provide internet services to those who remain unconnected, Mishra said. 

“With a familiar form factor and internet connectivity, this device can help users experience key services like digital payments, content, and more for the first time through Jio’s ecosystem,” Mishra told CNBC.  “However, screen size can limit the experience a bit, but still good for first-time internet users.”

Customer retention 

Jio has an upper hand against its competitors in the telco service space, such as Vodafone Idea — a partnership between Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group — as well as Bhati Airtelas and BSNL. 

Apart from selling the phone at an extremely low price point, monthly plans from Jio are also very affordable — and the other telco companies could even start losing customers, Mishra highlighted. 

Reliance Jio claims that their monthly plans are 30% cheaper than other telcos, and offer customers seven times more data. 

Paying $1.50 will get users unlimited voice calls and 14 gigabytes of data, compared to almost $3 for other voice calls and just 2 gigabytes of data from other operators, Reliance Jio’s press statement claimed. 

This is Jio’s tactic to attract more feature phone users to sign a plan with them even though they only offer 4G and 5G mobile network services, according to Navkendar Singh of the International Data Corporation (IDC). 

Reliance Jio has rolled out 5G services in 406 cities in India.

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There are about 250 million feature phone users in India, and many of them still use 2G phones and only for voice calls, according to Mishra.

Reliance Jio attracts these consumers and take them away from “legacy operators” by offering more “palatable” price plans, Singh told CNBC in a phone interview. 

“From what we understand, the main objective for Jio is to get more customers on the Jio platform and the Jio network, and they can then start cross-selling the services,” he said, explaining that customers can also tap on Jio’s payment and streaming services. 

Additionally, Singh highlighted that Reliance Jio hopes first-time internet users who purchase the Jio Bharat will eventually upgrade to more advanced phones down the road. 

“Right now, Jio gets revenue of about $1.50 to $2 a month, and when customers subsequently upgrade their phones in three or four years time, they would choose more advanced feature phones or low cost smartphones at some point in time,” he added. 

Price war with other telcos? 

Analysts who spoke to CNBC also agree that despite Jio’s cost-friendly plans, other telco companies are unlikely to significantly drop their prices. 

“There’s been an ongoing tussle between Jio and other telcos in India,” said Nikhil Batra, research director of IDC. 

“Lowering prices across the board will not be a viable option, but it will be a challenge for [other telcos] to create new customer experiences and product bundles to increase customer stickiness,” Batra said. 

Optimism in India will remain even if China's economy bounces back, says Indian brokerage firm

According to data from Macquarie Research, Jio currently has the biggest subscriber market share in Delhi (34%), Mumbai (35%), and Kolkata (42%), compared to Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and BSNL. 

However, other telcos could still benefit from those in India who continue to choose phones that do not let them surf the internet.

Macquarie data also showed that in rural areas such as Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, Bharti Airtel holds a larger market share than Jio.

India’s 5G rollout 

India has the world’s second largest telecom industry with a subscriber base of 1.17 billion people as of September 2022, data from IDC showed. The growth trajectory of the sector is just going to get higher from here, the market intelligence firm said.

“The industry’s growth over the past few years has been primarily driven by lower tariffs, availability of affordable smartphones, launch of telecom services by Reliance Jio, expansion of 4G coverage, and higher data consumption by subscribers,” Batra said. 

More consumers are also expected to purchase smartphones that have a 5G mobile network. 

About 52 million 5G-enabled phones were purchased in 2022, an increase from 26 million the previous year, IDC data showed.

“India’s 5G rollout has been much quicker and smoother and is well on course to reach pan-India by Jio by the end of the year. Jio and Airtel already have 5G services, and Vodafone Idea and BSNL are expected to join in rolling out 5G by 2024,” Counterpoint Research’s Mishra said. 

Men talk on their mobile phones in front of an iphone 14 advertisement, in Kolkata on September 27, 2022.

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Counterpoint Research estimates there are nearly 85 million users of 5G capable smartphones in India, and 5G handsets had captured 32% of market share in 2022. Over 50% of smartphones shipped in April 2023 had 5G capabilities as well. 

However, this is largely supply driven, Batra said. That’s because “brands are able to bring in more 5G devices due to the better supplies achieved by 5G roll out and demand for 5G phones in other countries such as China and Korea.”

“Consumers in India have not really demanded a 5G device until now, their purchases being driven by the availability as almost all smartphone models are priced around $300 and are 5G capable,” he added. 

Despite regulation and telecom infrastructure challenges, “India will be a major market for 5G by 2026 and will dominate the 5G net additions just as China starts to mature and decelerate,” Batra said. 

Technology is playing a much bigger role these days and “we can expect India to further accelerate and set an example,” he said citing the example of banking and Unified Payments Interface as an example.

“India leapfrogged the majority of developed nations in making digital payments convenient, accessible, and widely accepted, irrespective of merchant sizes,” he added.

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SoFi’s stock drops on $1.5 billion share sale announcement

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SoFi's stock drops on .5 billion share sale announcement

Anthony Noto, CEO of SoFi, speaking with CNBC at the annual Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho on July 10th, 2025.

David A. Grogan | CNBC

SoFi shares fell almost 6% in extended trading Thursday after the fintech company announced a $1.5 billion stock offering.

The company, which provides online loans and other banking services, said in a press release that it will use the proceeds for “general corporate purposes, including but not limited to enhancing capital position, increasing optionality and enabling further efficiency of capital management, and funding incremental growth and business opportunities.”

The announced offering comes after SoFi’s market cap almost doubled so far in 2025. The stock price is up more than sixfold since the end of 2022.

A company’s share price often drops on a planned share sale as the offering dilutes the value of existing holders’ stakes.

In its third-quarter earnings release in late October, SoFi reported revenue growth of 38% from a year earlier to $961.6 million, while net income more than doubled to $139.4 million. The company reported cash and equivalents of $3.25 billion.

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Apple announces departure of general counsel and policy chief

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Apple announces departure of general counsel and policy chief

Lisa Jackson, senior vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple Inc., speaks during the TechCrunch Disrupt 2017 in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Apple’s general counsel, Kate Adams, and its vice president for environment, policy, and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson, are retiring from the company, the iPhone maker announced on Thursday.

Jennifer Newstead, Meta’s chief legal officer, will become Apple’s new general counsel in March, and Jackson’s government affairs staff will report to her starting late next year, Apple said.

The two executives, who both reported to Apple CEO Tim Cook, are the latest members of senior leadership to exit the company. In recent weeks, Apple’s head software designer said he was leaving to join Meta, while Apple said its AI chief was retiring, along with its chief operating officer.

Adams joined Apple from Honeywell and became general counsel in 2017, and oversaw legal matters including litigation, global security, and the company’s privacy initiatives. Under Adams, Apple grappled with rising antitrust scrutiny and regulation around the world, including major lawsuits in the U.S. over the iPhone App Store’s restrictions and fees.

Jackson joined Apple in 2013, and led the company’s diversity programs as well as much of its policy work in Washington, D.C. Before that, she spent four years as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a position she was appointed to by President Barack Obama.

With her emphasis in areas like social justice and renewable energies, Jackson’s job lost relevance during the second Trump administration, which has publicly denounced diversity, equity and inclusion programs and slammed efforts to combat climate change.

Apple has faced increased tariffs from the Trump administration, and Cook has met with President Donald Trump several times to tout the company’s American manufacturing plans as part of an effort to influence policy.

Jackson was instrumental in Apple’s launch of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. She then helped expand the company’s equity and justice efforts to other countries, including the U.K., Mexico and New Zealand, according to a report published in 2023.

“At Apple, we pledge that our resolve will not fade,” Jackson wrote in a section of that report. “We won’t delay action. We will work, each and every day, on the urgent task of advancing equity.”

Jackson also worked on Apple’s environmental image. Her job “focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and expanding outreach to communities on environmental issues,” according to her bio on the company’s website. She discussed Apple’s plans to become carbon neutral at iPhone launch events.

Jackson also accompanied Cook to several official functions in Washington, including state dinners.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple Vice President Lisa Jackson arrive at the White House for a state dinner on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images

Newstead, who will become Apple’s top lawyer, has overseen Meta’s legal and regulatory matters pertaining to its family of apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp since 2019. A Meta spokesperson said Newstead will be staying through the end of the year and that the company is actively searching for her replacement.

Prior to Meta, Newstead served as a Trump-appointed legal advisor at the State Department during the president’s first administration in 2019. 

Before that, she was a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell and a general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, among other roles in the U.S. government.

CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian contributed to this story.

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Microsoft will raise prices of commercial Office subscriptions in July

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Microsoft will raise prices of commercial Office subscriptions in July

A general view of the Microsoft office building is seen in Cologne, Germany, on November 18, 2025.

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Microsoft said Thursday that it will increase the prices of Office productivity software subscriptions for commercial and government clients on July 1.

The company’s Office applications, which include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, have been facing increased competition in recent years from Google.

“We are continuously investing and innovating our platform for the future,” Nicole Herskowitz, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365 and Copilot, wrote in a blog post. “In the last year, we released more than 1,100 features across Microsoft 365, Security, Copilot, and SharePoint.” The new features have added value to the suites, she wrote.

Price hikes for commercial Office subscriptions have been infrequent. In 2022, Microsoft raised prices of its productivity bundles for the first time since launching the original Office 365 subscriptions in 2011. Microsoft changed the name of Office 365 to Microsoft 365 in 2020. In January, Microsoft announced a price hike for consumer Office bundles.

Microsoft offers Office 365 subscriptions for commercial use that include access to its productivity applications, along with higher-priced Microsoft 365 subscriptions that also include Windows operating system updates.

Here’s a breakdown of the commercial price changes:

  • For small and medium-sized businesses, Microsoft 365 Business Basic will cost $7 per person per month, up from $6.
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard will be available for $14, up from $12.50.
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium will continue to cost $22.
  • The entry-level Office 365 E1 offering for enterprises will still be sold for $10.
  • Office 365 E3 will jump 13% to $26 from $23.
  • The Microsoft 365 E3 package including Windows for enterprises will rise 8% to $39 from $36.
  • The full-featured Microsoft 365 E5 will increase to $60 from $57.
  • For front-line workers such as cashiers, Microsoft 365 F1 subscriptions will cost $3, up from $2.25.
  • Microsoft 365 F3 will be available for $10, up from $8.

The U.S. Defense Department and other government clients will face similar percentage price increases.

The various subscriptions all exclude access to the $30 Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on that draws on generative artificial intelligence models. Some companies have started widely rolling out Copilot, while others have held off on expanding their deployments, CNBC reported last week.

In many cases, organizations receive discounts off of list prices, but Microsoft has cut back on direct volume deals for some types of customers.

Almost 43% of Microsoft’s $77.7 billion in fiscal first-quarter revenue came from its Productivity and Businesses Processes segment, which includes Office. In October, the company said revenue from Microsoft 365 commercial cloud services jumped 17%, while seats increased 6%, mainly from products targeting small and medium-sized businesses and front-line workers.

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