Jio, India's leading telecom giant, is reportedly in talks with Meta to launch an affordable Horizon OS VR headset, potentially expanding access to virtual reality in the world's most populous country.

Jio, India’s leading mobile network provider, is reportedly in discussions with Meta to introduce a Horizon OS headset in the Indian market, according to The Information. Though the talks are ongoing, no concrete deal has been reached at this stage.

Jio’s Diverse Portfolio and Ties to Meta

Beyond its core mobile network, Jio operates a wide array of services including an e-commerce platform, a digital payments service, and a collection of app-based offerings encompassing messaging, streaming, and gaming.

Meta acquired a 10% stake in Jio back in 2020 as part of an agreement aimed at incorporating some of Jio’s e-commerce features into WhatsApp. Furthermore, Mukesh Ambani, Jio’s controlling shareholder, maintains a personal friendship with Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg and his wife even attended Ambani’s son’s wedding earlier this year.

Affordable VR Hardware with Jio Services

It’s noteworthy that Jio currently collaborates with Google on a 4G Android phone priced at roughly $50. A Jio VR headset could potentially adopt a similar approach, offering subsidized hardware running Horizon OS and pre-loaded with Jio services.

Jio boasts around 1800 brick-and-mortar retail stores across India, which it could leverage to showcase the headset to potential customers.

Potential for Cost Reduction and Compromises

It remains unclear how a Jio headset could achieve a notably lower price point than the forthcoming Quest 3 without significant compromises. Jio’s smartphone accomplishes this by utilizing a low-end chipset, so it’s conceivable that the headset could employ the original Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 from Quest 2. Over time, this could limit the portion of Horizon Store content compatible with the headset and restrict its mixed reality capabilities. However, these compromises might be deemed necessary to ensure strong sales in the Indian market.

Expanding VR Access in India

We will continue to monitor any future developments regarding this potential partnership. If successful, it could bring consumer VR to the world’s most populous country, widely recognized as one of the most significant emerging markets.

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Aditi Sharma

Aditi holds a Masters in Science degree from Rajasthan University and has 7 years under her belt. Her forward-thinking articles on future tech trends are a staple at annual tech innovation summits. Her passion for new tech trends ensures that our readers are always informed about the next big thing.