India’s biggest wireless data provider Reliance Jio unveiled a new set of plans as it continues to migrate its customers towards paid plans.
The key difference between the new plans and the previous Dhan Dhana Dhan offer is that the new plans offer double validity for the recharges, while the earlier plan offered triple validity.
In other words, while the Dhan Dhana Dhan schemes gave a validity of 84 days to plans with 28 days of validity, the new plans offer 56 days for the same plans.
As an example, the Rs 309 plan, which provides 1 GB per day of free usage, will now carry a validity of 56 days. Thus, a user can use up to 56 GB by paying Rs 309, instead of 84 GB earlier.
Similarly, the 509 plan — which gives 2 GB per day — will now be valid for 56 days, instead of 84 days under Dhan Dhana Dhan.
The company was expected to announce a 5GB/day plan, but it has not been announced.
The non-daily plans have also been changed.
The 999 plan, for example, will now give 90 GB of data and will carry a validity of 90 days with no daily capping.
Under Dhan Dhana Dhan, it used to give 120 GB valid for 120 days. The regular entitlement for the plan is 60 GB valid for 60 days.
On a positive side, the condition that one user can only avail of these plans only once has been removed.
In other words, you can recharge for Rs 999, and if the 90 GB data gets over in 40 days, you can recharge again to get another 90 GB.
This was no possible with the Dhan Dhana Dhan scheme, where you got the extra allocation only for one recharge.
NEW PLANS
The company also unveiled completely new plans as well.
For example, it introduced a Rs 399 recharge, which will give 1 GB per day for 84 days.
It also introduced a Rs 349 scheme, which will give 20 GB of data with no daily cap and a validity of 56 days.
The 149 scheme, which gives unlimited calls and 2 GB of total data, has also been retained.
It is likely that the company has issued these as regular schemes and not promotional schemes. If so, these tariff plans would remain in effect for a period of at least six months.
The new tariff is largely along expected lines — and seems aimed at preventing a sharp drop-off of subscribers as they are migrated towards monthly schemes.
AGM SURPRISE?
Reliance Jio is also widely expected to announce ultra-cheap 4G handsets that will enable buyers to make unlimited voice calls at very low rates such as Rs 149 per month.
This could hurt the incumbents further as they get about 75% of their profits from voice services. The incumbents charge about Rs 350 per month for similar unlimited calling offers, and would be forced to cut the prices of such packs to Rs 199 or Rs 249 per month.
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Reliance Jio users should recharge with new plans by Friday for continued service