Jio’s next salvo: calls, broadband, videos at under ₹1,000 per month
NEWDELHI:RELIANCE Jio Infocomm Ltd will offer internet access, videos and voice calls for less than ₹1,000 a month when it starts fibre-to-home services later this year, a repeat of the aggressive pricing strategy that ruffled incumbents during the launch of its wireless phone services.
Jio, which has triggered a consolidation in the telecom sector since its entry in September 2016, is testing its fibreto-home services in some cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai.
“Jio plans to enter the wired internet segment by the end of this year... and the fibre-to-thehome (services) will also come with unlimited calling through a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone as well as JIOTV,” a person aware of the matter said, requesting anonymity.
“Discussions on a bundled tariff are still going on, but current talks suggest it could be under ₹1,000 a month,” the person added.
An emailed query sent to Jio was unanswered till press time.
As part of the wired broadband trials, Jio is currently offering free broadband with unlimited internet at 100 mbps against a security deposit of ₹4,500. “Bundled offerings, though popular in some Western countries, have not been successful without a strong content play. Jio has been active with its content strategy and this would become an advantage with a bundled quad play—fixed line, mobile, broadband internet and media. It may increase consumer stickiness,” said Amresh Nandan, research vice-president, Gartner.
On May 1, the government approved a proposal to permit internet telephony. VOIP is a technology that allows users to make voice calls using a broadband internet connection instead of a traditional public switched telephone network.
JIOTV, Jio’s television app, has also stepped up its content offerings recently. In the past, it has won digital rights for global sporting events such as Winter Olympics 2018, EFL Cup (Carabao Cup Final), and T20 cricket series Nidahas Trophy. Through the JIOTV app, a user can access many TV channels and even pause and play a live programme or catch up on shows telecast over the previous seven days.
Ahead of Jio’s fiber-to-home launch, rival Bharti Airtel Ltd is trying to push its home broadband offerings in new cities and expand its coverage in cities where it is already present. Airtel has also boosted its content by introducing a new home broadband plan with speeds of up to 300 mbps at a monthly rental of ₹2,990, with 1,200GB of data and free subscription to Airtel’s over-the-top apps Wynk Music and Airtel TV.
Airtel currently has three plans with monthly rentals of ₹1,099, ₹1299 and ₹2,199, where it has bundled Amazon Prime subscription with landline calling and broadband.