Google is partnering Airtel to bring low-cost smartphones powered by Android Oreo Go edition to the Indian market.
As per the deal, all entry-level 4G Smartphones under Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ program will be shipped with Android Oreo Go edition as the standard operating system starting next month.
Airtel started the ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative in October last year, through which it has partnered with several handset makers to launch bundled 4G smartphones at budget-friendly prices. Some of the handset partners include Samsung, Karbonn, Celkon, Intex, Lava, Micromax, itel and more recently Motorola and HMD Global.
Airtel said that Lava and Micromax will launch the first set of 4G smartphones powered by Android Oreo Go edition and will come preloaded with its own set of apps that includes MyAirtel App, Airtel TV, and Wynk Music.
“This partnership is a major milestone for the ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative. Android Go will provide a massive boost to our efforts to bring affordable smartphone options to the market and potentially enable hundreds of millions of feature phone users and unconnected people to get online.” said Vani Venkatesh, Chief Marketing Officer – Bharti Airtel.
“Android’s mission has always been to bring the power of computing to everyone. We’re excited to see Airtel take a leading role in that effort by introducing a range of devices powered by Android Oreo (Go edition).” said Jon Gold, Director of Android Partnerships.
In December, Google had debuted Android Oreo Go, a stripped-down version of its Android operating system specifically optimized for entry-level smartphones with memory of as low as 512 MB. At launch, Google had also said that it had optimised the operating system and pre-installed apps to take up 50% less space on these devices.
