Reliance Jio launched on Sept. 5 with offer of free data and unlimited voice and text messaging services
Indian operator Reliance Jio Infocomm said it has attracted more than 16 million subscribers in the mobile segment since the launch of commercial operations on Sept. 5, according to local press reports.
The operator is offering a free welcome pack until Dec. 31, which includes 4 GB of data per day as well as unlimited voice and text messaging services. After that date, Reliance Jio said, it plans to charge only for data, with free voice and SMS.
The telco’s mobile customers also will have access to Reliance Jio’s premium apps like JioMusic, MyJio, JioChat and JioMoney for free until the end of the year.
The operator also announced plans to offer the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices. With each purchase, Reliance will offer its Jio Digital Services free for one year. The telco said the offer will be valid for customers who purchase the device from a Reliance Digital store or through select Apple Premium resellers.
The digital services pack includes unlimited local, STD and national voice services, unlimited text, 20 gigabytes of 4G data, 40 GB of Wi-Fi data and unlimited 4G data at night, as well as over 300 channels of live TV.
During a recent spectrum auction, Reliance Jio obtained 269.2 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.3 GHz bands.
India receives 70 applications for MVNOs licenses
Also in India, the Department of Telecommunications said it has received a total of 70 applications from 60 companies for the provision of mobile services through mobile virtual network operator schemes.
The government said these companies have requested MVNO licenses to launch operations across 11 telecommunications circles in India.
The DoT is offering MVNO licenses under a unified license arrangement, with an entry fee of 75 million rupees ($1.1 million). Those firms willing to offer Pan-India MVNO services will have to pay a 1.5 million rupee license fee and a 10.25 million rupee fee for a national and international long distance license.
Gujarat Circle received 22 applications for the provision of MVNO services, Mumbai received 12, Uttar Pradesh got 11 and there were eight MVNO applications in Delhi. DoT said there were no applications for the provision of MVNO services in the Bangalore Circle.
