Reliance Jio turns one, and in one year it has managed to gather a 100 million-plus customer base.
It’s been a long year for most of the incumbent telecom operators who have had a torrid time competing with the Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom company, which has managed to give them a run for their money.
We take a trip down memory lane to see how a disruptive telecom operator transformed into one of the biggest network giants in a span of just one year.
When It All Began
Reliance Jio kicked off by creating a buzz in December 2015 when the company announced its own 4G network. It also tried its hand at making some smartphones with the LYF brand, but that really didn’t take off as well as Reliance had hoped.
Reliance really hit it off on 1 September 2016 when Mukesh Ambani, at the company's annual general meeting (AGM), announced Jio 4G services.
Jio's Big 'Welcome'
The company announced its ‘Jio Welcome Offer’ at the AGM event – free voice calls, zero roaming charges, and cheaper tariff for customers who signed up for Jio. The offer was made valid till 31 December 2016, which was later extended to 31 March 2017 (which Jio called the ‘Happy New Year Offer’).
Jio bagged a lot of fans in India. So much so that it claimed to have added seven customers every second, reaching 100 million customers in just 170 days. That’s among the fastest customer growth by any technology company in the world.
Oh! How can we forget the JioFi portable dongle? Many are still carrying the portable router in their bags.
Torrid Time for the Giants
September 2016 to March 2017 was a tough time for incumbent telecom operators like Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea. According to Jio, it acquired over 50 million customers in just three months, eating its competitors’ market share.
The aggravation reached such a level that some incumbent operators refused to help their customers port or switch to the Jio network.
They even denied interconnectivity options to newcomer Reliance Jio, for which the Telecom Regulation Authority of India (TRAI) suggested imposing a penalty of more than Rs 3,000 crore on Airtel, Vodafone and Idea.
Also Read: Airtel, Vodafone or Reliance Jio 4G: Prepaid Data Plans Comparison
On the flip-side, Reliance Jio garnered a lot of subscribers from September to March 2017 (almost 90 million), which left other telcos snapping at Jio’s heels.
February 'Primed' for Jio's Big Offering
As Jio’s free 4G services were coming to an end, it was time for people to finally start paying for the data they used.
On 21 February, Jio Prime was introduced for existing Jio customers which numbered more than 100 million then.
Jio introduced monthly tariffs as low as Rs 99 per month for 28GB data and unlimited voice calls – much lower than what the competitors were offering.
This left other operators with no choice but to drop their voice and data tariffs. Airtel’s 1GB plan was dropped to Rs 349 per month, Vodafone to Rs 346 per month, and Idea to Rs 346 per month for the 14GB pack.
The ‘Jio effect’ also brought about the merger of two big telcos – Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular – for almost $US 23 billion.
According to TRAI, Jio data speed output was consistent in 2017, toppling its competitor by a considerable margin.
According to a report in April 2017, Reliance Jio topped the list with average 4G download speeds clocking near 16.487 mbps, followed by Idea Cellular at 12.092 mbps. Airtel delivered an average download speed of 10.439 mbps.
July 2107 numbers show Jio’s 4G speed at 18.6 mbps, with Vodafone at 11.0 mbps and Airtel and Idea at 9.0 and 9.8 mbps, respectively.
The month of May 2017 saw Reliance Jio become the biggest telecom player in India with a subscriber base of almost 118 million.
The Most Essential ‘Zero’
21 July 2017 was a historic day for the telecom and mobile phone industry, as the world was introduced to the first feature phone that effectively cost Rs 0 (with the exception of Rs 1,500 you have to pay to register the Jio Phone).
The Jio Phone is the marquee offering from Jio, which the company is introducing to target the masses and make 4G available at affordable rates.
With the pre-bookings already open and delivery of the device expected near 21 September, expect a lot of buzz when the phone finally reaches customers.
Also Read: Pre-Booked a JioPhone? Here’s How You Can Check Your Order Status
We can’t really say how good the phone is yet, but the kind of features Jio has mentioned, it sounds promising.
Undoubtedly, this is just the beginning for Reliance Jio. What this telco has achieved in a span of just one year is a feat like none other.
There were obstacles along the way and many questioned Jio’s credibility, but the company has stood firm, throwing its financial might.
For Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, the battles continues...
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