Airtel and Samsung join hands to transform India into a smartphone nation

Announce partnership to offer Samsung Galaxy J-series smartphones at highly affordable prices

Samsung Galaxy J2, India’s largest selling 4G smartphone, to be available at an effective price of just Rs 5490

New Delhi, January 3, 2018: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest telecommunications services provider, and Samsung, India’s No. 1 smartphone and consumer electronics brand, today announced a strategic alliance to bring a range affordable 4G smartphone options to customers. The partnership is part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, under which Airtel aims to partner device manufacturers to build an open ecosystem of affordable smartphones.

Four top models from Samsung’s popular Galaxy J-series range – J2 (2017), J5 Prime, J7 Prime, and J7 Pro - will be available with attractive cashback offers, bringing down the effective price of the device and making them highly affordable for customers. All devices will come bundled with Airtel’s special recharge pack of Rs 199 that offers 1GB data/day and unlimited calling to enable best-in-class experience on India’s leading smartphone network.

The Rs 1500 cashback will be disbursed to customers over 24 months. At the end of 12 months, customers who have done recharges (in any denomination of their choice) worth Rs 2500 will be eligible for the first instalment of Rs 300. They will be eligible for the second instalment of Rs 1200 provided they complete another set of recharges worth Rs 2500 over the next 12 months.

Ajai Puri, COO – India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to partner Samsung in our endeavour of transforming India into a smartphone nation by making it easier for customers to get access to 4G smartphones they always aspired for. With this partnership, we are also stepping up the range of devices we offer to our customers. In particular, this new range of affordable smartphones will serve the aspirations of young customers who are looking to make a one-time investment to own a large screen smartphone with latest features and enjoy a great 4G experience.”

“This partnership with Airtel gives us another opportunity to enhance consumer experience, bringing together our popular Galaxy J series smartphones with their services at affordable prices. Today, every third smartphone sold in India is a Galaxy J series device. These smartphones are packed with several India-centric innovations developed at our R&D centres in the country under the Samsung ‘Make for India’ initiative,” Mr. Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung India, said.

The offer is available across India starting January 7, 2018. Customers can purchase the smartphones from any Samsung retailer and get the recharges done at any Airtel retailer. After sales support for the device will be provided by Samsung through their service network. The ownership of the 4G smartphone is completely with the customer and there is no need to return the device to Airtel/Samsung at any point to claim the cash benefit.