After Jio launched its free services, it saw many people switching to it from their more expensive network connections. Reason: It’s free. It promised fast data connection. And “free” calls. Every telecom operator out there is more expensive than Jio. Take Airtel, for example. Even its “free” offers come at a price.
Now that Jio is a few months old and is inching towards its commercial launch in April 2017, and now when Airtel is going hammer and tongs in its fight with Jio and launching a cool new offers almost daily, which one is better for you? In the long run, which one will turn out to be cheaper? More importantly, which you think is going to offer superior experience? Should you ditch that Jio SIM card you took a while ago, and move to Airtel? Should you completely switch to Jio from Airtel?
If yes, what are the stakes? Can you let go of your expensive Airtel connection for a Jio? What are the problems that a Jio user faces daily and what are the problems Airtel users have been facing since long despite paying over a rupee for every minute they talk on their phone (which mind you, may get dropped, bless the per second billing) or Rs 4 for every MB of 3G data that accidentally gets used without a pack (dial *121*13# to know).
Lots of questions. But lots of answers too.
Right now Jio is unbeatable. Its free offer enables it to gain high ground among network operators.
But Airtel is not all that bad anymore. After it slashed tariffs indirectly by offering more with every add-on pack, its rates have become competitive. Among Airtel’s postpaid plans, the basic one costs Rs 145 and gives you free Airtel-to-Airtel calls and 300MB data. It’s Infinity postpaid plans offer unlimited voice calls over any network, free incoming calls on national roaming in India, 100 SMS per day and 3GB 4G data for a bill of Rs 549 plus taxes.
In fact Airtel will not look that expensive come April.
Reliance plans to charge you for Jio data usage starting 1st April 2017. Packs to be purchased for prepaid start at Rs 19 per day for 100MB or Rs 499 for 28 days for 4GB data among others, which go as high as Rs 4999. Postpaid billing starts at Rs 149 with 300MB data and going up to Rs 4999.
All calls remains free on even After March 31 2017, including roaming to any network. And so does the SMS service. Jio wins for now, but after April (possibly) it appears to be only slightly cheaper than Airtel for packs of Rs 499 and above. It may offer a reduced tariff but for now there is no such information. When Jio was launched, the tariff difference between what it planned to ask for from consumers and the prices charged by Airtel was much bigger. But now, the money part almost seems the same.
Free stuff: The best thing about Jio is the free stuff that it offers. No other telecom operator can beat that right now. Just a recap, you get free 1GB data every day, free local or STD calls, even when you are roaming India and free messages. After March 31st, Reliance might take away the free data ration, but unlimited calls and messages continue to remain free.
Call quality and data speed: Agreed that network strength is Jio’s biggest disappointments. But when it connects, it works wonderfully. Call quality using VoLTE is amazing, especially when you are calling a Jio number. The background noise is fully controlled and you hear good voice quality. Data speeds are also at par with Airtel and Vodafone, with high res YouTube videos stream without buffering when you are getting good signals.
Network issues: But there are problems too. Jio users face a lot of network problems. Move to indoors, basements, sub-urban areas or even on the open road, Jio network often vanishes.
Connectivity issues: Jio is famous (or rather infamous) for its connectivity issues. Many a times, even when the phone receives network, it is unable to place a call. Only rock solid patience and unwavering spirit can get you through.
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