Website for Rs 251 smartphone buckles with 6 lakh hits/second

New Delhi, February 18

The much-hyped launch of the world’s cheapest “Make in India” smartphone was thrown into disarray on Thursday as a mad rush to book the Rs 251 (less than $4) device caused the company’s website to crash within hours of opening up for pre-orders.

Besides chaos at the company’s Noida-based head office, there were reports of copyright infringements.

Amid allegations of copying Apple’s iPhone icon design and appearance, nearly six lakh hits per second forced Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. to shut the online pre-booking offer within hours of opening the registration — with a promise to reinstate the booking within 24 hours.

Despite several tries during the day to place an order for a smartphone on www.freedom251.com, the payment gateway remained elusive for people. Chaos prevailed at the company head office as a crowd assembled demanding the smartphone. The phone was unveiled a day ahead of the launch. Soon after the phone went on sale this morning, the company stopped accepting orders after its website crashed. “We humbly submit that we are taking a pause,” it said in an apology to customers. While the company said it received 6 lakh hits per second, it did not say how many of those converted to real orders. — Agencies