Reliance Jio, even when it's not free, may still be your best bet for 4G
That wonderful honeymoon period of free 4G data is soon going to be over. Reliance Jio’s freebie-induced 100-million customer base, will soon have to start paying for the telecom giant’s questionable “best 4G” services. But is it something that will affect Mukesh Ambani’s dream project? Perhaps not.
According to an Economic Times report, analysts expect a 50 per cent erosion of Jio’s user base. While it is true that the number of people, who jumped on the Jio bandwagon, was so high primarily because it was free – and that is a big selling point in India — but despite discrepancies in services and patchy connectivity, it’s still one of the cheapest 4G service you can avail in India.
Jio Prime membership, announced by Reliance chairman Ambani on February 21 is now available. Starting March 1, Jio users will be able to subscribe to Prime — their annual service — at a limited period price of Rs 99. Once they get the Prime membership, they will be eligible for special Jio plans, including the Rs 303 plan that will give users 30GB 4G data per month, along with unlimited data at lowered speed, unlimited free calls and the unlimited messages.
 |
| Photo: Indiatoday.in |
Along with the Prime service, Jio has also launched an assorted range of pre-paid and post-paid plans for customers to choose from. The plans, starting at Rs 19 and ending at Rs 9,999, give you an insight into Reliance Jio’s continued persistence when it comes to their promise of making internet cheaper and better in India.
The Jio Prime plans come into effect from April 1, the day the existing Jio Happy New Year offer expires.
A lot of criticism Jio has received is because of the fact that it does not deliver on the promises it made — about being the fastest 4G network in India. While it may not be able to boast of a gold medal in that regard, the fact that Jio has clocked 200 crore minutes of voice/data since they began and over 100 crore GB a month since its launch, is testament to the quality of service it provides.
And while Jio, as of the beginning of the next month, may no longer be free, it is still giving its customer base an opportunity to enjoy decent 4G coverage at a very nominal rate. Mukesh Ambani knows his audience well. Quality is something Indians can adjust with, and low-prices are always a winner.
So, while Jio loses out in terms of overall better service as compared to its competitors (and it’s very likely they will improve upon it as time goes by), it most certainly makes up for it in terms of cost.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal has dubbed Jio’s tariff plan as very aggressive and unsustainable. A price war is in the making and that can only be good news for consumers. Airtel has announced that it will no longer charge for domestic roaming from April 1, and reduce international roaming charges by up to 90 per cent. And this is just the beginning.
Airtel is now offering 14 GB for just Rs 149, which is almost the same as Jio’s Rs 303 for 30 GB plan. A quick look at its earlier plans will tell you that it has now slashed data rates by almost 80 per cent.
Airtel, as of now, has more than twice the number of customers compared to Jio. But these desperate price slashes are a sign.
Jio does have something that Airtel is afraid of. So, isn’t it smarter to back the seemingly winning horse for now?