Is Reliance Jio fit to be your primary sim yet?

You say why not? Free calls.. affordable data, good data speed.. and oh all services free of cost till December end. While all that is true but there is a need to weigh your options right as Jio has only just technically started its services now. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio certainly is not your regular new entrant in an industry, it’s a company with deep pockets and high might. Which is why it sent the consumers in a tizzy with its too good to be true offers. But wait, let’s see why you need to ‘calm down’ about it. An alternate number is a good deal but making it a primary number can ring in trouble.

Data Speed

By now many of you are queuing outside a Jio store for a Jio sim. We don’t blame you the offer is enticing. There are two reasons why you want a Jio sim. Good service and free service. About good service, yes Jio has been able to provide better data speed than other telecom operators but in Jio’s case we are only talking about pre-launch speed where access was limited to a limited amount of consumers who got services bundled with devices. In the beginning data download speed for Jio went as high as 50mbps but later it came down to about 14mbps, now that too is better compared to say an Airtel that has about 10-13mpbs download speed. But Jio is growing at the speed that refuses to go down unlike its data speed, especially with the services being provided for free till December end. Which simply means there is going to be a whole lot of pressure on the network which is likely to reflect on the data speed going forward. So hang on before you discard your current sim just yet.

Voice Calls

No matter how much you use your phone for data, voice calls are extremely important. Jio is struggling on the voice call front. Yes it’s free but is it worth the trouble you’d go through. Interconnect capacity from incumbent telcos have been a huge concern and in days leading to the Jio announcement it was a cause for a full blown battle between Jio and rest of the industry. Mukesh Ambani even talked about it while launching the product asking the operators to give Jio points of inter-connection and it will take some time to get the house in order.

Network coverage

Reliance Jio is already a big force in the industry but it is entering a ‘new’ market with players who have been around for over two decade. It is going to be a challenge for Jio to get a seamless network connection from scratch. We still have issues with existing operators in terms of seamless connectivity. So far the test users were consumers who got the services along with devices but now the challenge will start when anyone and everyone can get a sim and join the network. The pan India network strength can only be tested now. So wait on before your port out.

Reliance Jio’s much talked about test trial may have come to an end but the actual test starts now. With more and more subscribers riding on Jio’s network we will be able to find out just how strong and steady Jio is. Till then no one’s stopping you from getting a free connection but just don’t put all your eggs in one basket, that’s all I am saying!

Also Read: Is your phone Jio compatible?