The launch of the JioPhone Next, a long-awaited mass-market smartphone developed by Jio Platforms and Google due for release today (10 September), was pushed back due to a worldwide component shortage.

In a statement issued yesterday (9 September), Jio Platforms claimed the companies made good progress towards launching the made-for-India handset and started testing with a limited set of users, adding the companies are working to make it more widely available in time for the five-day Diwali festival starting 12 November.

“This additional time will also help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages.”

Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research, tweeted availability for Diwali “should help it with a good uptick, but from here onwards it will be all about managing supply not demand”.

Jio Phone Next was announced as part of a Google acquisition of a 7.73 per cent stake in Jio Platforms, the digital services arm of Reliance Industries.