Srinagar, Dec 31: All calls from Reliance Jio to other networks in India to be free from 01 January as Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) regime ends
Telecom operator Reliance Jio has said that as per directions of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Bill and Keep regime is being implemented in the country from 1 January 2021, thereby ending interconnect usage charges (IUC) for all domestic voice calls.
The company said that “Honouring its commitment to revert off-net domestic voice-call charges to zero, as soon as IUC charges are abolished, Jio will once again make all off-net domestic voice calls free, starting 1 January 2021. On-net domestic voice calls have always been free on the Jio network”.
“Jio stands firm on its commitment to make the common Indian the beneficiary of advanced technologies like VoLTE. Jio is a customer-obsessed organisation and cares for every single user. All our users enjoy free voice calls with Jio,” it said.
Jio said it is committed to lay the foundation of a digital society — a society where everything, everyone, everywhere is connected with the best quality service at the lowest price globally and has access to the most advanced digital platforms.
“Through technological innovation, Jio will continue to deliver revolutionary products and services to its users, with a customer-first approach.”
For context, in September 2019, when TRAI extended the timeline for implementation of the Bill & Keep regime beyond 1 January 2020, Jio was left with no option but to start charging its customers for offnet voice calls, at a rate exactly equivalent to the applicable IUC charge.
While doing so, Jio had assured its users that this charge would continue only till the time TRAI abolished IUC charges.
Over the last one year or so, Reliance Jio was charging customers 6 paise per minute for voice calls made to rival phone networks, but compensated subscribers by giving free data of equal value.
Reliance Jio, which added overall 2.22 million new mobile customers, taking its total subscriber base to 406.3 million during October.
In the wireline segment, Reliance Jio added the most subscribers at 2,45,912. It was followed by Bharti Airtel which added 48,397 fixed line connections, VIL with 9,400 subscriber addition and Quadrant which added 5,198 customers.
Here’s a look at what the company is offering with the plans
₹129 Plan: The plan offers 2GB of data along with free domestic voice calls.
₹149 Plan: The plan offers 1GB/Day data for the users. The validity for the same lasts for 24 days. The plan offers 100 SMS per day as well and complimentary Jio apps subscription.
₹199 Plan: The plan offers 1.5GB of data per day and a validity of 28 days. It also offers free voice calls and complimentary subscription to Jio apps. The plan also offers unlimited messages (100 per day).
₹555 Plan: The plan also offers 1.5GB of data per day but it comes with a validity of 84 days. The plan comes with unlimited messages (100 per day) and the complimentary subscription of Jio apps.