Mumbai will be the first city to get preview services of Reliance Jio’s Fiber services, which will come with a monthly cap of 100 GB of high-speed data, India Today reported, adding that users will have to pay Rs 4,500 as a refundable security deposit to avail of the preview offer.
“The company — at least during Preview – will offer speeds of up to 100 Mbps… (and) will come with an FUP (fair usage policy) of 100 GB after which the speeds will go down to 1 Mbps,” the magazine reported.
It said it had gained access to the Jio Fiber’s website — which is not accessible to the public as of now — and that its report is based on the information gleaned from the same.
“The website, as of the moment is hidden for the general public but India Today Tech has managed to get some screenshots.”
100 GB CAP
While the news of the company kicking off its preview will be welcomed by the fans, some of the information is likely to disappoint fans.
First, the 100 GB per month FUP will severely limit the extent to which subscribers will be able to enjoy services such as 4K Youtube and Netflix on the service.
4K services require fiber connections as they consume around 15 Mbps of bandwidth or speed, which is almost impossible on copper.
However, 4K video consumes about 7 GB per hour, and a 100 GB pack will last for just over 14 hours — which would be over in 2-3 days.
That said, even most fiber-based players do not provide truly unlimited plans that would allow users to watch 4K videos every day.
The biggest high-speed Internet provider in Mumbai — Hathway — offers only up to 200 GB per month, at a price of Rs 1,500 plus tax.
You Broadband is slightly cheaper, offering 200 GB at 15 Mbps for Rs 1,359 plus tax. At about 1,800 plus tax, it also offers a truly unlimited connection, but at a reduced speed of 10 Mbps.
Besides this, You Broadband offers 4,200 GB for a period of six months at 100 Mbps on a one-time payment of Rs 10,700 including tax. The plan works out to about 23 GB per day at a cost of around Rs 1,600 per month excluding tax.
If you are willing commit for a year, the You Broadband also offers 9,600 GB, which works out to an average of 26 GB per day, at a payment of around Rs 18,500 excluding tax. This works out to a cost of Rs 1,550 plus tax per month.
The cheapest player in fiber broadband across India — Spectranet — also happens to be the cheapest in Mumbai.
It provides a truly unlimited 20 Mbps plan at Rs 1,050 per month, though here too you have to commit to a longer time period than one month. The same plan at 50 Mbps costs 1,350 plus tax, while at 100 Mbps, it costs Rs 1,850.
REACH
However, the biggest problem for fiber based players — including Reliance Jio — is that of reach.
For example, Spectranet is present in only six out of the hundred or so suburbs or regions within the Mumbai area. These are Khargar, Thane, Lokhandwala, Kandivali, Powai and Sanpada. Even here, the player is not present in all areas.
The widest coverage is for Hathway, which uses its cable network to supplement its fiber services.
Reliance Jio is expected to try to bridge some of the coverage gap. However, it will take several months after June — the rumored date of Mumbai preview launch — for it to cover the first dozen cities. And within these cities, extending coverage to most areas would take years.