Jio's free data may not be enough for us

The entry of Reliance Jio into the telecom market is one of the most significant moments in India’s telecom history. The 4G service from Reliance Industries will be available from next week. As a telecom player, Reliance Industries can be called new, although its ambitions are not.

It tried to change India’s telecom market almost 15 years ago with a cheap phone and affordable services. That, for various reasons, didn’t yield the desired result. Now, the company is hoping to shape the destiny of digital India. The impact this time might be somewhat closer to what Jio is aiming for.

The aim of Jio is very ambitious. It also shows up in the way the service is rolling out. Reliance wants to enter the market with a bang. That is the reason behind the offer of a free SIM card with free (almost) unlimited data, voice calls and messages for three months. You would think there is some catch, because the offer is so ludicrous. But no, for three months Jio is indeed free!

As a service, Jio promises a lot but like all such services, it too has some aspects that need a relook. For now, the network speed for Jio is fairly great and better than what Airtel, Vodafone and others offer. But it’s slightly patchy. We still don’t know what kind of effect the growing user base will have on Jio. Will it be able to maintain similar standards? Chances are yes, but this is yet to be seen.

The launch of Jio will have a positive impact on the telecom industry in India, which is is woefully behind times. Jio will force data prices down - though not by much - and force others to do away with anti-consumer policies like low data limits, etc.

But it may not help solve India’s hunger for data. Across the world, the best possible internet experience comes through wired connectivity. Wired connections are the only truly unlimited connections, cheap and robust. These connections help create fast wifi networks. India’s problem is that no company has managed to create good wired internet.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

Also read: If Reliance Jio fails, will Modi be liable: Ad ripped apart on Twitter