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New Delhi: Good times for Jio subscribers may be over as it seems that Reliance Jio may raise the price of its data offers and become more of a level playing field for its rivals. After providing free and discounted data pricing for a year, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices, sources said.
London-based OpenSignal, which specialises in crowdsourced wireless coverage mapping all over the world, said Jio's market entry kicked off an intense price war in the telecom scene in India, resulting in offerings of cheaper LTE services from all operators, driving more consumers to 4G than ever before. However, it may now raise prices of its data offers and it may become a level playing field for rivals.
"The trend will continue next year. Whether Jio remains the huge dominant driver in 4G growth remains to be seen. After a year of free and steeply discounted data pricing, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices. That could level the playing field for India's operators," said Andrea Toth from OpenSignal.
“Jio’s widespread 4G access, along with its at-first free and later heavily discounted data and voice plans, quickly won the hearts – and wallets – of more than 100 million mobile users across the country,” Toth added.
Reliance Jio, while disrupting the telecom market in India, has also catapulted the country towards being a full-grown 4G power. According to a new report, from a developing 4G nation, India is all set to become a full-grown power in 2018. According to an OpenSignal report, India’s growth in 4G has been sped up by the entry of Reliance Jio.
According to Crisil's predictions. India's current mobile data subscriber penetration stands at 40 per cent which is expected to double to 80 per cent by 2020. Telecom companies have been providing free voice calls and affordable data plans and they have been one of the key reasons for a boost in 4G connections. Additionally, the companies have also announced cheap 4G mobiles in India and the impact will soon be seen.
