Free voice calls, no roaming charges from Apr 1; Jio unveils Rs 303 plan

Reliance Jio will start charging customers from April 1, but will offer sharply discounted prices for a year to those who sign up by the end of March. Customers who sign up by March 31 will be able to use unlimited data and voice services for a year at Rs 303 a month under a special offer, Mukesh Ambani said.

Enrolment to the plan would cost a one-time fee of Rs 99.

As Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani launched the Rs 303 per month plan for Reliance Jio, rival Bharti Airtel shares were seen trading down 2.5%.

According to the tariff plan, Jio will match the highest selling tariff of other operators and provide 20 per cent more data than what other operators provide.

Jio will also offer Prime Memberships starting from March 1. The customers can enrol for this membership at Rs 99 and can continue enjoying unlimited offering for another 12 months after enrolment.

Jio Prime Members can get this value at an introductory price of only Rs 303/month, effectively just Rs 10/day.

The last date of availing the membership is March 31.

Concerns, however, remain if Jio will be able to retain its subscribers once it begins charging for the services. Analysts say many subscribers are using Jio as a second mobile connection to take advantage of the free data.

Jio's launch came after years of delay and Reliance Industries has already invested more than $20 billion into the venture.Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday thanked all its Reliance Jio customers for an unprecedented response in the last six months. The Jio has crossed 100-million customers mark in just 170 days, Ambani said.

Addressing shareholders at Reliance Jio Digital event, Ambani said, "Seven customers added every single second since launch."

According to the data consumed on Jio, users consumed over 100 crore GB data, more than 3.3 crore GB/day, making India the number one country in mobile data usage.

Jio was launched on September 5, 2016.

"Jio carries nearly 5.5 crore hours of video daily on its network. Jio has more than double the number of 4G base stations when compared to all the other Indian operators put together," Ambani said.

Making big announcement on the event, on all of Jio's tariff plans, all domestic voice calls to any network will always remain free. No roaming charges will be applicable and there won't be black out days either.

Thanking 100 million customers again, Ambani said, "Today I show my gratitude to you, the initial 100 million and to ensure you always continue to get extreme value. We are committed to serving you and winning your confidence every single day. With Jio, your life is digital, and your life is beautiful."

Here are the highlights:

Jio Prime Members can avail introductory price of only Rs 303/month, effectively Rs 10/day

Jio to offer free voice calls, no roaming from Apr 1 and double data capacity in coming months

RJio user base has exceeded 100 million

Jio prime membership fees will be Rs 99 per year

Ambani announces Jio Prime offer at one-time fee of Rs 99 + 300 Rs per month for unlimited data/voice

By the end of 2018, Jio network will be present in all the cities, villages and cover 99 percent of the country's population, promises Ambani.

Jio provided sustainable employment for 50 lakh people. Last month, Jio users consumed more than 100 GB of data

Jio will match tariffs offered by existing operators and offer 20% more data in any pla