Xiaomi's smartphones have captured China's attention, but can it find the same success as a wireless carrier?
The company this week introduced a wireless service known as Mi Mobile. "Mobile plans are now made simple with affordable and transparent 'Pay as you go' or 3GB data bundled plans," Xiaomi said in a Facebook post.
Plans include 3GB for RMB 59 or about $10 per month. Pay as You Go will cost about 2 cents per voice minute, SMS, or megabyte of data.
As Reuters noted, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are not very popular in China, where the mobile market is dominated by state-owned telecoms. But Xiaomi has a major presence in the country and could help jumpstart the sector.
MVNOs typically rely on the networks of other providers, and in Xiaomi's case, Mi Mobile will run on China Unicom's 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Look for the Mi Mobile SIM cards on Xiaomi's website soon.
U.S. tech giant Google took a similar step in April, when it rolled out a new wireless service dubbed Project Fi.
Initially an invite-only service restricted to the Nexus 6, Project Fi relies on Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular service from T-Mobile and Sprint for connectivity.
Xiaomi, meanwhile, also unveiled the Mi 4c phone, which is coming soon for about $200 for 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage or $235 for 3GB RAM and 32GB internal space.
Powered by a Snapdragon 808 1.8GHz 6-core 64-bit processor, the Mi 4c comes with a 5-inch Full HD screen, a 13-megapixel camera, Edge Tap, and a 3,080mAh battery equipped with Quick Charge 2.0. It also sports a 4G Dual SIM slot and the new USB Type-C reversible connector, and will come in a variety of colors.
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