Mukesh Ambani announces free voice calls, cheaper data tariffs, zero roaming for Jio customers

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani today announced free voice calling, zero roaming charges and cheaper data tariffs for Jio customers.

In a bid to target 100 million customers in the shortest possible time, Ambani also announced a 'free welcome offer' for Jio customers from September 5 till December 31. R Jio will offer users data services free for four months, after which it will offer 10 tariff plans starting at Rs 19 a day for occasional users, Rs 149 a month for low data users and Rs 4,999 a month for heavy data users.

No Jio customer will ever pay for voice calls to any network in India; roaming charges will also be zero: Mukesh Ambani.

Devoting an hour of his speech at the RIL's 42th Annual General Meeting, the billionaire industrialist said Jio is targeting 100 million users in a shortest possible time. The company also announced "super-affordable" handsets under the LYF brand starting Rs 2999.

Data is oxygen of digital life; data should not be unaffordable to anyone. Jio's pricing is about solving customers' pain points; customer should pay only for one service - voice or data; All voice calls for Jio customers will be absolutely free. Reliance Jio will move India from data shortage to data abundance: Mukesh Ambani on his telecom venture

Jio's base data tariff will cost one-tenth of existing rates being charged currently; we will charge Rs 50 per GB, Rs 149 a month for light data users; students to get 25 percent more data, says Ambani.

Telecom operators have legal obligation to provide points of interconnection to other players and not to limit customers from migrating to other networks, he added.

 Also read : How Reliance Jio plans to make aam aadmi a digital native

He also said,

Healthy competition is lifeblood of market; incumbent operators should not misuse market and create hurdles for new entrants.

Shares of Idea Cellular and Bharti Airtel plunged up to 9 per cent today after the announcement came. Idea Cellular tanked 9 per cent to Rs 85 -- its 52-week low on BSE. Shares of Bharti Airtel dropped 8.99 per cent to Rs 302.