Reliance Jio is once again ready to create a surge in the telecom industry by launching its 100Mbps broadband plan for less than Rs 1,000. The Mukesh Ambani led telco is planning to launch its Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services by the end of this year, under which the telco will provide video calls, high-speed connection and voice calls with the fibre broadband plan. A previous report has already brought it to our knowledge that the telco is already on the task of testing the fibre optic connection in the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai.
A person aware of the matter tipped Livemint “Reliance Jio plans to enter the wired internet segment by the end of this year...and the fibre-to-the-home (services) will also come with unlimited calling through a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone as well as JioTV.” He further added “Discussions on a bundled tariff are still going on, but current talks suggest it could be under Rs 1,000 a month.”
When an email query was made by Livemint to Reliance Jio, it wasn’t replied. As per the report, Reliance Jio is offering the broadband connection to the users against a security deposit of Rs 4,500.
Amresh Nandan, who is the research vice-president at Gartner also had some insights to share. He said “Bundled offerings, though popular in some Western countries, have not been successful without a strong content play. Reliance 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.”
This news comes in the light of the new decision by the government, which has approved a proposal of Internet telephony with VoIP technology. VoIP is technology lets users make voice calls over internet broadband connection.
Jio is also focusing on increasing the titles and shows which it is offering on its JioTV application. The telco has notched up the quality of the application and has garnered good ratings over the time. It has also bought the digital rights of Winter Olympics 2018, EFL Cup (Carabao Cup Final), and T20 cricket series Nidahas Trophy to attract more users. Not only this, the JioTV app is used by many users to stream live TV channels, where users can pause and play the videos to watch the shows relayed within the last seven days.
With Reliance Jio doubling down on its home services, the incumbent telcos like Bharti Airtel who are already present in the broadband sector are also gearing up for another battle. Bharti Airtel has already responded by introducing a 300 Mbps connection for the users at the price of Rs 2,990 with 1200 FUP data. Airtel will also give free access to its apps like Wynk Music and Airtel TV as part of the plan. The largest telco in the country is currently providing three plans, each priced at Rs 1,099, Rs 1299 and Rs 2,199, which come bundled with Amazon Prime subscription with landline calling and broadband.
Reliance Jio is showing no signs of backing off as the telco has announced the integration with the music app, Saavn to its JioMusic app in order to facilitate content for the users. The telco has also bought a 5% stake in the film firm Eros International.
