Other BrandsDeitY to quiz Ringing Bells over Freedom 251

DeitY to quiz Ringing Bells over Freedom 251

The Freedom 251 has run into some serious trouble now, with the Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY) getting ready to call in Ringing Bells for an investigation. Many people have been questioning the brand’s legitimacy since the phone was announced.

The meeting between DeitY and the management of Ringing Bells is probably going to take place this week, according to a senior official at the communications ministry. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has further asked IT Secretary Aruna Sharma to scrutinize the credentials and claims of the Noida-based brand.

Freedom 251

The noose seems to closing in on Ringing Bells, with even the Income Tax department and Noida police launching its own investigations. The Rs 251 price of the Freedom 251 was initially believed to be the result of government subsidies, but the new slew of inquiries seems to suggest otherwise.

According to the Economic Times, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya thinks the entire enterprise is a ponzi scam. He might be right, given the lack of information about Ringing Bells. The firm has been defending itself against a steady stream of allegations since its launch. In an interview with the Times of India, owner Mohit Goel said he fully intends to fulfill all orders.

A quick look at the specs of the Freedom 251:

– OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop
– CPU: 1.3GHz quad-core
– Display: 4-inch IPS qHD
– Battery: 1450mAh
– Camera: 3.2MP rear, 0.3MP front
– Storage: 8GB, expandable up till 32GB
– RAM: 1GB

The Freedom 251 has supposedly received 7 crore registrations since its February 18 release. Goel plans to fulfill 25 lakh bookings online and 25 lakh more through offline distributors by June 30. As per his calculations, each handset sold will result in a Rs 31 profit for the company.

Also See: Freedom 251 world’s cheapest smartphone can be pre-ordered tomorrow

Ringing Bells President Ashok Chadha explains this by laying out its business model. He now asserts the actual cost of the device is Rs 1500, much lesser than the Rs 2500 he had proclaimed at its launch. The figure has been whittled down to Rs 251 through a combination of economies of scale, an online sales model and pre-loaded apps.

Ringing Bells has also been accused of repackaging Adcom smartphones as its own. Chadha claims a few phones had the branding of that manufacturer since it had supplied the panels for the Freedom 251. The final product will apparently have the Ringing Bells logo.

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