New Delhi: The government is monitoring sales of the world’s cheapest smartphone ‘Freedom 251’ after the company Ringing Bells claims to have received 30,000 confirmed orders and over 6 lakh hits per second on its website on the first day.
“The ministry is keeping a close watch due to the huge consumer interest at stake,” a person familiar with the matter said. “An initial internal assessment of the ministry shows the price of the smartphone can’t be less than Rs 2,300 but the government won’t step in for now unless there’s a proven case of wrong doing.”
Ringing Bells started pre-booking of the device at 6 am on Thursday and stopped by mid-day after its servers crashed due to what it said was an “overwhelming” response.
Ringing Bells director Mohit Goel told media that 30,000 orders were booked on the first day. That’s a fraction of the 6 lakh hits per second on the website claimed by the company. Assuming an upfront payment of Rs 291 for each phone, including Rs 40 for shipping, the company would have raked in over Rs 87 lakh with 30,000 orders.
