Bookings closed for ‘Freedom 251’

Freedom 251”, touted as the world’s cheapest smartphone, closed on Saturday after the Noida-based company selling the phone said it could not deal with the “overwhelming response”.

Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd., set up by Amity graduate Mohit Goel in 2015, said in a statement on the Freedom 251 website that the response from the public “far exceeded the number we had expected” and that bookings in the first phase of the launch will be closed.

“We appreciate and acknowledge that we may not have been able to meet the needs of all, but will definitely look forward to serving you again in the next phase,” the statement added. The phone, which has a four-inch display, was launched on Wednesday at an event in New Delhi. The website to pre-order the phone got so many hits that it crashed on Thursday. Services were restored on Friday, but the company closed bookings on Saturday morning as the number of orders had exceeded what it had anticipated. Mr. Goel could not be reached for comment, but reports suggest the number of orders had crossed seven crore.

Potential customers visited the company’s office after being unable to book the smartphone online. They were greeted by a sign telling them not to collect outside the office and refer to the website.

Meanwhile, there were questions over how the company will be able to manufacture and deliver a smartphone at such a low cost. The Income Tax Department had raided the office at B-44 in Sector 63 on Friday to find out how the phone was priced so low. The Gautam Budh Nagar Police also visited the office and met Mr. Goel in order to prepare his profile.