JioFiber’s plans look cheaper but Airtel is giving you more data

• JioFiber just launched in India offering speeds of 100 mbps at ₹700.
  
• Jio’s plans may be cheaper than Airtel but the data usage is more limited.
  
• Jio’s plans extend up to 1 gbps where Airtel’s fastest plan is 300 mbps and Hathaway’s is capped at 150 mbps.
  

Mukesh Ambani’s new broadband service, JioFiber, just launched in India with plans starting at ₹700 and offering speeds of at least 100 mbps.

Jio will be taking on Airtel’s V-Fiber Broadband, Hathaway — in which it has 51.3% stake — and other players in the broadband space.

Jio’s divided its subscription plan into six tiers — bronze, silver, gold, diamond, platinum and titanium.

In comparison, Airtel’s plans are definitely pricier but their data limits are higher — which means heavy users can browse more at higher speeds without worrying about fair usage policies or FUPs.

FUPs basically are limits for data downloads, crossing which speeds of the said plans will fall drastically. This is true even with unlimited plans, where operators believe that users tend to leave devices open and unattended when a plan is offered without limits.

Higher speeds but less data

Jio’s bronze, silver and gold subscription plans come bundled with free voice calls, free TV calling and conferencing services. These plans also include a free subscription to the Jio Console — Jio’s multiplayer game streaming service that’s making its debut with the promise of zero latency.

The welcome offer — valid for a limited period of time and subject to annual subscription only — is only offering a free three-month subscription to JioCinema and JioSaavn for the bronze plan users.

Even the silver plan is limited to a three month subscription but will include other streaming platforms, yet to be disclosed.

Airtel’s V-Fiber plans, on the other hand, come bundled with free subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Zee5 and Airtel Xstream as well as unlimited free calling within India.

The bronze and silver plan both promise a speed of 100 mbps with a data cap of 150 GB and 400 GB, respectively.



Hathaway’s plans vary from city to city, plans compared are for Delhi

JioFiber’s gold plan offers 250 mbps, a larger data cap of 750 GB, and the welcome offer includes an annual subscription to OTT apps.

Airtel doesn’t have a 200 mbps plan on the table but does offer 300 mbps. Hathway doesn’t offer speeds beyond 150 mbps.



Hathaway’s plans vary from city to city, plans compared are for Delhi

Airtel also has a broadband plan for ₹799 a month but it offers speeds of 40 mbps with data capped at 100GB.

Speeds that Airtel and Hathaway don’t offer

Diamond, platinum and titanium users will get additional perks like Jio’s ‘First Day First Show’ feature, which will allow them to watch movies on the same day as theatrical release.

Jio’s also introducing a virtual reality platform for these users which will provide a ‘theatre-like’ experience without leaving the couch, according to the company. But this a VR device has to be purchased by consumers separately.

But here’s the kicker — Jio’s is the only broadband service provider offering speeds of 500 mbps and 1 gbps to non-business users.


The plans are not inclusive of Goods and Services Tax

Welcome offer

JioFiber’s launch comes bundled with a welcome offer that include a 4K television set and an HD 4K set top top as well — but only for users who commit to an annual subscription.

Airtel’s V-Fiber Broadband service also plans to be a smart set-top box that runs on Android. It will have integrated access to streaming portals, virtual reality applications and interactive gaming, according to the Economic Times.

Terms and conditions

While JioFiber’s prices may be cheaper than the competition it should be kept in mind that most of ‘freebies’ are only available to users who commit to an annual subscription.

And, Hathaway’s plans get cheaper if you subscribe for longer periods from three months to six months. Airtel is relatively flexible by that measure, since users only need to sign up for a month at a time.