It was a big victory for Apple in one of the biggest telecom markets in India as it made its first real deal with an operator here to sell the latest iPhone 5S and 5C under contract.
Apple had been trying for years to get any prominent mobile operator in this country of 1.2 billion people to offer its iPhones under contract. However, none of the operators were willing to take the risk due to chances that subscribers may not be able to honor their commitments.
However, Anil Ambani promoted Reliance Communications seems to have mustered up the courage to offer the phone for zero downpayment.
Users will have to pay Rs 3,000 ($50) per month for the next two years. However, Reliance Communications will offer unlimited voice, text, data and roaming as part of the plan.
The plan is likely to attract anyone who runs up bills above Rs 1,000 per month, and wants to buy the iPhone. For those whose usage is below Rs 500 per month, the new schemes may not offer much.