The GSM phone, S-300, does not have a display screen, and also lacks the SMS function but offers a host of other features.
Spice Telecom CEO Navin Kaul said the "heavily subsidised" Rs 599 handset would be sold only in Karnataka and Punjab in the next two months, after which it would also be available elsewhere at a "higher cost".
The S-300 has audio interface system in Kannada language (Punjabi in Punjab) and offers talk time of three hours, and a 15-day battery backup, reducing the need for frequent recharging, Spice Telecom officials said.
Subscribers to this phone, weighing 75 gm and with three year warranty, can make outgoing calls to any local number at Re 1 per minute with lifetime validity.
The handset comes with a speaker phone and can save nine speed dials for easy calling.
The 'hot key' for value added services can be used to get useful information in Kannada on mandi rates for vegetables, pulses, beverages, cereals, dry fruits, flowers, fruits, oil seeds, and entertainment services like mobile radio, jokes and devotional songs.
The company has positioned the easy-to-use, affordable handset as 'phone for masses'. Kaul said, "Next level of mobile revolution comes from rural areas. We did a lot of research on what kind of phone the people need."
