Reliance Jio partners with Ciena to deliver high-bandwidth 4G services, support more users

Ciena's solution will provide Jio a high-speed and highly-resilient mesh network, operating at speeds up to 200 Gb/s, and allows unprecedented scale to support its surging subscriber base and subsequent data explosion.

Mukesh Ambani’s telecom business Reliance Jio has partnered with the US-based telecom networking solutions company Ciena to deploy packet-optical technology for its ambitious pan-India fourth-generation (4G) network rollout across telecom circles.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited has deployed Ciena multi-terabit converged packet-optical technology to power its pan-India 4G network core and help unleash digital revolution in India,” the Maryland-headquartered company in a statement told ETTelecom.

Ciena's solution will provide Jio a high-speed and highly-resilient mesh network, operating at speeds up to 200 Gb/s, and allows unprecedented scale to support its surging subscriber base and subsequent data explosion.

The deal size however could not be ascertained but its is estimated to be close to Rs 100 crore.

In order to provide ultra-high bandwidth services across its entire network, Reliance Jio deployed Ciena’s 6500 and 5430 Packet-Optical Platforms, powered by WaveLogic coherent technology which will also support Jio’s upcoming subscriber additions.

The core network connects all major cities of India and is already carrying more than 80% of the total data traffic carried through Indian telecom networks.

Ciena also added that it provides higher uptime and unmatched customer experience compared to traditional network architectures.

“With Ciena we are not only able to provide robust scalability to offer new levels of data consumption, which is already 8 to 10 times above market levels, but also a supreme level of confidence in our network’s reliability and level of service that stands out in our marketplace,” Reliance Jio president Jyotindra Thacker in a statement said.

Jio’s growing 4G network, according to Thacker is backed by Ciena’s coherent technological offerings and control plane technology.

The telecom arm of oil-to-logistics conglomerate Reliance Industries has forayed into commercial telecom services under the brand name Jio on September 5, 2016 with all IP-based network.

The Mumbai-based telco has added more than 100 million subscribers in just 170 days.

“In fast-growing markets like India, there’s a pent-up demand for more bandwidth not only for personal use, but also to sustain business growth and development. Jio understands the necessity in today’s digital environment to provide high-bandwidth services anytime, anywhere, “ Steve Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Ciena said.

Read More»

Reliance Jio’s another freebie: This offer will remain free even after Happy New Year offer ends on March 31

Reliance Jio has already announced the offers and tariff plans for its network service, which will be applicable from April 1, this year. Meanwhile, there is one offer which it has still kept free. 

Reliance Jio will also continue its free caller tune offer for its subscribers. The offer was free during the Happy New Year scheme, and will still be so after it ends on March 31.

Reliance Jio has already announced the offers and tariff plans for its network service, which will be applicable from April 1, this year. Meanwhile, there is one offer which it has still kept free. While Jio offered its calling and data services for free earlier, both the ‘Welcome Offer’ and ‘Happy New Year’ have now ended. This means, now consumers of Jio network will have to pay for the data services in order to avail the offers. However, the calling will remain free forever, according to Reliance Jio. Reliance Jio’s Happy New Year offer will end on March 31, and along with it, the freebies will end too. To soften the blow, Reliance Jio had rolled out its Jio Prime membership plan from March 1. But apart from all these, Reliance Jio will also continue its free caller tune offer for its subscribers. The offer was free during the Happy New Year scheme, and will still be so after it ends on March 31. This offer will be valid for a month after activation.

Meanwhile, after March 31, users will not get everything for free. In order to continue using the previous ‘Happy New Year’ offer, Jio users will have to pay a subscription fee of Rs 99. Additionally, they will have to shell out Rs 303 every month to continue accessing Jio’s 4G services and also the full bouquet of Jio’s media services for one year. Similar to the previous ‘Happy New Year’ offer, the Prime membership too will provide users with a FUP limit of 1GB data for each day. a consumer who still does not have a Jio connection can get on the network on or before March 31 in order to avail the Prime membership offer.

In order to activate the caller tune, you need to follow the following steps:
1. Users will be needed to download the Jio4GVoice application from Google PlayStore
2. After opening the app go to the messaging option.
3. You need to type ‘JT‘ and send it to the number 56789 using your Jio SIM.
You will receive a message from the company, where you will be able to select from many genres and categories of caller tunes.
5. Once you select an option, you will get details and songs related to it. Select a song among them and click on the corresponding number.
6. Once you receive the confirmation message, click on the number ‘1‘.
7. You will receive a Start Caller Tune message. Click ‘Y‘ and send.
8. You will receive a text about the free caller tune option for 30 days. You can also stop the service by ‘STOP‘ and send it to 56789.

 

Read More»

Reliance Jio's offensive to continue, eyes no. 2 slot

The company has ramped up 100 million subscribers in under six months of its launch and officials say the next target is to "challenge Airtel for numbers and reach the second position".

Reliance Jio is expected to maintain its aggressive posturing in the telecom market even as the company offers paid services from next month, what is seen as its first big challenge considering this will be the first time it will start billing customers.

The company has ramped up 100 million subscribers in under six months of its launch and officials say the next target is to "challenge Airtel for numbers and reach the second position".

"There is no way Jio is going to give up on its ramp-up, and it is going to stay aggressive in the coming quarters as well," a top official said, requesting anonymity. After the disruption that the company caused in mobile tariffs, it is set to open the battle on another frontier - home broadband and cable business as well as low-priced devices.

"Jio will launch highly-subsidised mobile devices - for as low as Rs 1,500 or so - that will support data and its 4G business. This way, it will capture all new 4G subscribers," a top industry official aware of the plans, said.

Read More»

Decision to merge with Idea has nothing to do with Reliance Jio, says Vodafone’s Calao

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, and Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone Plc, spoke to reporters about how the merger between Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone India Ltd makes business sense. Edited excerpts:

How do you sell this transaction to shareholders?
Birla: ...we believe that this is based on business fundamentals. So we got complementarity in assets in different markets. Vodafone is much more dominant in metros while Idea is quite strong in many rural markets. We would together have market share of about 40%. So I think it is the business logic that has fundamentally driven this combination and I believe that for us and for all other shareholders this is something that creates immense value.

There is a sense that the entry of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd has been one of the key factors driving the deal. Is that true?
Colao : You all talk about Jio. But the market leader is someone else and therefore it is not just about Jio. This is a very competitive market. We continue to be competitive. Now we are more sustainable because we are coming together and will be among the top two telecom companies in all Indian circles, except Jammu and Kashmir. We don’t have a single circle where we have below 10% market share, which means that you can make money in each circle and reinvest that in other circles. Our decision to merge has nothing to do with Jio. We have always said that India has been wonderful for Vodafone from a market point of view, from a customer point of view. I have been in conversation with Mr Birla for many years and at some point we decided to come together. More than Jio, I think it’s the arrival of data which is the key reason. Data as you know is very capital-intensive and requires a lot of spectrum

When you first entered the country, India was described as the jewel in the crown for Vodafone Plc. Has it changed now?
Colao: India has been wonderful for Vodafone from a market, customer and brand point of view. But from a regulatory point of view, the price of spectrum has been very high. Hopefully the move creates better synergy.

Can this merger bring an end to the tariff war that the industry has been witnessing?
Birla: I don’t see any connect between the merger and the tariffs. We will still have five players in the market. We still remain a very intensely competitive market like in most parts of the world.

Going forward, do you see the regulatory environment as a major challenge?
Colao: I don’t think of regulators as a challenge; rather, regulation will help the industry develop. But with us coming together the regulators have the real chance to prove that they are neutral.

We have heard that Vodafone is in talks to sell the excess stake and has reached out to a few potential buyers (according to the terms of the merger agreement, Vodafone has to bring its stake in the combined entity on a par with that of the Idea promoters, the Aditya Birla Group, by selling shares to it or to third parties)...
Colao : As I said, the merger has been on equal terms and at some point in time the shareholding of Vodafone will meet Idea’s stake. But there no conversations about Vodafone selling its stake to anyone right now.

Read More»

Reliance Jio sends legal notice to Ookla, seeks withdrawal of Airtel’s fastest network advertisements

Jio's lawyers Khaitan & Co in a legal notice, said that Ookla has falsely certified Bharti Airtel to be the "India's Fastest Mobile Carrier with full knowledge of that your test "results" are fundamentally flawed and unreliable.

Reliance Jio approached the advertising watchdog ASCI on Monday, seeking a withdrawal of Bharti Airtel’s advertisements, terming them as false, misleading and incorrect, a move which is set to intensify the war between both the telcos.

Bharti Airtel’s latest advertisements claim that the telco is the fastest telecom network in India as rated by Ookla - the broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. The company Monday denied any wrong doing.

“The claim of Airtel is not true, and is misleading, and has been made with the knowledge that the methodology adopted for to determine the mobile internet speed was completely flawed (this has been accepted by Ookla, LLC in correspondence with us),” Reliance Jio said in its letter to Advertising Standards Council of India dated march 20, 2017.

“Airtel is the dominant telecom operator in India in existence for the last 22 years. Airtel cannot claim ignorance of the methodology used by Ookla for determination of the speed,” it added.

Jio said that Airtel has been guilty of making attempts in the past to use such titles and proclamations, and it was forced to back-track and withdraw such advertisements after complaints from the general public and upon intervention by the Advertising Standards Council of India.

“It is clear that Airtel is in violation of the Advertising Standards Council of India Code, including provisions of "Section A. Chapter-I- Truthful & Honest Representation,” it added.

Defending the advertisements, a Bharti Airtel spokesperson said that Ookla’s findings are based on analysis of millions of internet speed tests logged on ‘modern devices’ by mobile customers across India using its popular Speedtest app. “The results include all mobile tests, regardless of connection technology.”

The Mukesh Ambani-led new entrant alleged that Ookla, LLC, is a commercial enterprise who gives awards for money, and it doesn't have any accreditation from the government of India. It added that the word appearing in the advertisement "officially” when used in the context of telecom services is linked to only the telecom regulator, TRAI, and the telecom department in the minds of general public.

"The use of this word deceives the telecom consumer into believing that the certification is from the telecom regulator namely TRAI or the licensor namely DoT. Airtel, as a dominant player in the Indian telecom market for the last 22 years, cannot plead ignorance to the implication of an undue advantage it will gain by use of such word. Thus, Airtel has wilfully, deliberately and knowingly misled the Indian public," it said.

Reliance Jio also informed the ASCI that it has sent a legal notice to Ookla, LLC, who according to the telco professes to be experts in the domain space of testing mobile internet speed.

Jio's lawyers Khaitan & Co in a legal notice, said that Ookla has falsely certified Bharti Airtel to be the "India's Fastest Mobile Carrier with full knowledge of that your test "results" are fundamentally flawed and unreliable.

It alleged that Ookla abused its dominance in this domain in an unethical manner by “concealing true facts, and have purported to provide an unfair advantage to Bharti Airtel and further their business interests for your commercial gains.”

The notice read that Ookla's acts were not only reckless, but are also malicious and mala fide intended to bring into disrepute Jio and its network. It further read that these acts are also intended at causing monetary losses and irreparable damage to Jio by lowering the perception of the quality of Jio's services in the minds of the general public, giving an undue and unfair advantage to the competitor.

“This exercise by which Ookla purports to provide speed "test results" to telecom service providers for internal use for a consideration, and, charges a premium in the range of 2X to 4X —depending on the options availed if such entities wish to promote their business using such "results", shows that Ookla's so-called awards/certificates and brand, is a scam in collusion with a service provider,” the notice read.

Ookla couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

Read More»

Vodafone-Idea merger: Can the two telecom giants take on Reliance Jio?

After a couple of months long executive level discussions, the global giant Vodafone and Aditya Birla group controlled Idea Cellular --- the second and third largest mobile network operators in India with around 200 million subscribers each--- decided to merge their telecom operations in the country to take on Reliance's Jio. There are many takeaways from the deal, especially when the Indian telecom industry is going through tremendous disruption.

According to Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao, the play in the Indian telecom industry has become data-driven, taking the voice a back seat. He prefers to focus on the next technology like 5G, sailing through the 4G wave unhurt.

Jio has started afresh with new technology and its supportive infrastructure while incumbents have the legacy issues. In addition, Reliance is all out to flush money to capture the market--- their subscriber base rose 100 million in 170 days of Jio's launch. The launch offer of free service is going to end by March-end. But Reliance has launched Rs 10 a day service for its premium customers to retain subscribers for the next one year. This indicates that the Jio customers will get ample data and free voice at Rs 300 a month. Can the incumbents crack into the tariff war?

The Idea-Vodafone merger will bring in synergy of operations and help boosting the market share. But how can they play out in the price war? If they couldn't bring mass appealing tariff plans, the joint entity's value will shrink with the exodus of customers.

Capital infusion is another risky area for the incumbents in today's time. The lead players--- both the merged entity and Airtel--- will have to pump in huge capital for upgrading their infrastructure. Reliance has the advantage of cash flow from its oil business. Since both oil and Jio comes under one entity, they could use the cash flow across the different businesses. Jio has already committed another Rs 1 lakh crore investment in the couple of years.

Vodafone's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBIDTA) for the last financial year stood at Rs 13,115 crore while Idea reported an EBIDTA of Rs 11,909 crore. Reliance had an EBIDTA of Rs 52,503 crore in the same period. The question is going to be who can stay on investing without bleeding.

For the success of the merged entity, Vodafone will have to play with its technological expertise and use its experience in other parts of the world. They should have an India focused growth plan. Once its back in track, the capital will not be an issue, considering the it's partnership with Aditya Birla group. 

Read More»

Reliance Jio effect: Telcos poor financial health leading to mergers, says COAI

Meanwhile, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, Vittorio Colao said that the the UK-based telco was looking forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders.

GSM group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Monday said that telcos financial distress was a major trigger for mergers, acquisition and consolidation of companies such as Idea Cellular and Vodafone, Aircel and Reliance Communications.

The reaction comes on the backdrop of Idea Cellular’s Board approval on Monday to merge its operations with UK-based Vodafone with an aim to create a largest telecom entity.

“Due to the poor financial health of the sector, we are witnessing mergers, acquisition and consolidation of companies like Idea and Vodafone, Aircel with RCom and MTS. Other companies like Videocon and Etisalat have already left the industry because of this hyper competitive pressure,” Rajan S Mathews, Director General of COAI in a statement said.

Vodafone will own 45.1% in the combined entity after transferring 4.9% to the promoters of Idea Cellular for Rs 3,874 crore in cash after the merger. Promoters of Idea Group such as Kumar Mangalam Birla will hold 26% and the rest will be owned by the public, according to the two telcos.

The development came after the commercial foray of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm in September 2016 that has eventually led to a steep tariff cuts by rival operators.

“There is currently a tariff war in the market, which may not be sustainable for long. This has also severely impacted the revenue stream of operators, not just in terms of an increase in cost but also in terms of a marked decline in the revenue stream,” Mathews said.

COAI also said that the tariff war has led the financial condition of industry at risk and increased the debt to Rs 4.3 lakh crore, which is eventually leading to a severe decline in government revenues from the sector.

The GSM group represents Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone India, Aircel and new entrant Reliance Jio.

Mathews feels that there has been a continuous increase in expenditure due to high costs of spectrum acquisition and high and multiple levies and taxes.

“We have seen some significant consolidations in the past and this announcement is a welcome and positive step in the direction of telcos coming together and creating resilient networks with a large asset base for an enhanced consumer experience,” COAI aded.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, Vittorio Colao said that the the UK-based telco was looking forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders.

On Monday, Anil Ambani-driven dual technology player Reliance Communications (RCom) has also received an approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to combine its cellular business with Aircel.

The RCom-Aircel-MTS entity is expected to have an asset base of over Rs 65,000 crore ($9.7 billion) and net worth of Rs. 35,000 crore ($5.2 billion).

Read More»

Reliance Jio Users To Remain Loyal Even With Paid Services: Report

The report also stated that most of the 2G/3G users in the sample test expect to upgrade to 4G within the next year, and 80 per cent of them will consider Jio. 

 

As Reliance Jio will make its services paid from April 1, it was thought that many customers may stop subscribing to it, but a research conducted by brokerage firm Bernstein showed opposite trend.

"We expected many people would appreciate the 'free' Jio offer but be critical regarding voice quality - with many likely to move back to their primary operator once they were forced to pay. What we see is the opposite," the report stated. Bernstein is a Wall Street research and brokerage firm.

"Jio scores highest on overall customer loyalty and outscores the incumbents on customer service, convenience, data coverage, data speeds, and handset choice. They also outscored Vodafone and Idea in voice quality and voice coverage," it added.

The report also stated that most of the 2G/3G users in the sample test expect to upgrade to 4G within the next year, and 80 per cent of them will consider Jio.

The survey also gave some insight on the critical question of what percent of Jio users will decide to stay and pay Rs. 303 a month.

"Despite 67 per cent of users classifying their existing Jio SIM as 'secondary', a full 63 per cent of these users said they plan to make Jio their new primary operator and a further 28 per cent said they would continue to use Jio as a second SIM.

"Only 2 per cent of existing Jio users said they will give up their SIM. It's possible the new 'matching offers' by the incumbents will push the take-rate down a bit... but the extremely high starting numbers indicates things will continue to be tough," the report added.

Bernstein said it sampled 1,000 predominantly high value users drawn from across India.

"40 per cent of respondents are from the Metro circles, 30 per cent A-circles, 20 per cent B-circles and 10 per cent C-circles. 95 per cent live in urban areas and only 5 per cent report that they live in a rural area," the report added.

Read More»

India may be challenging today, but the India of tomorrow will be fulfilling: Mukesh Ambani

Speaking at the India Today Conclave today, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that Reliance Industries has ensured its latest telecom venture is the best in the world.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave today, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that Reliance Industries has ensured its latest telecom venture is the best in the world. He said, without a doubt, Reliance Jio network is better than the ones in developed nations.” Further lauding Indian telecom industry and its consumption, Ambani said that India consume more data than China and technology will play a dominant role in maintaining the lead. Further speaking upon the growth of Reliance Jio, Ambani said, “Speed of adoption of Reliance Jio to 100 million subscribers is more than initial growth of Facebook, Google and Skype. He also said that near about 1.9 million schools will be connected via Reliance Jio over the next two years.

Ambani also said that India need to generate as many as 15 million new jobs per year and Reliance Industry on its own has successfully managed to create 50 lakh sustainable jobs through Jio networks. He also pointed out that the job creation ability of organised sector is limited and thus, India must depend on the unorganised sector. Ambani also applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ demonetisation move and said that post the note ban, our country has taken a massive leap towards digital payments and this has brought unproductive money to productive use. “Based on Aadhaar and big data based on your behaviour it would be possible to get a loan within minutes,” he added further.

On Economy
Ambani also pointed out the need of ‘Keep in India’ move to retain talent in our country. “We need to combine technology with Indian smartness to do well and will have to learn from the common man to progress.” India must be moved from being a $2.5 tn economy to $40 tn economy, he said adding that this will put us in the top economies of the world list and thereafter create the conditions of equitable distribution. Further in his speech, he said “India may be challenging today, but the India of tomorrow will be fulfilling.”

“When you focus on your goal, you overcome your obstacles, but if you focus on the obstacles you will never overcome them to reach your goals.” He also said that India of tomorrow will be fantastic. On ease of doing business, reforms in country, I am a no-excuses kind of guy, I think what is important is delivery and execution as well as planning. Flawless execution is a must, he added further. “India has a historic opportunity before us and we must deliver. This generation is impatient. It demands instant delivery,” he said.

On Technology
Ambani also stressed on the importance of technology in our daily lives. He said, “Technology will play a dominant role in our lives across every segment. We have to ensure our children are digitally savvy right early from school.” Take the challenge of providing affordable housing. Today, new materials allow us to make smart housing in half the time and cost while conserving resources, he said. Denial of opportunity is real impoverishment. We should not allow any Indian to suffer from that poverty. We can’t be arrogant about technology, it has to always serve the common man.

On Healthcare
In healthcare, India can overcome a deficit of infrastructure and doctors by universalising tele-medicine which can bring high-quality healthcare to all people in an affordable manner. Second new green revolution is possible in India and that is the digital revolution.

On Wealth
Money means nothing to me. My father (Dhirubhai Ambani) used to tell me ‘if you start anything just to make money, you are a fool. You will never make money and you will fail. You must start with a purpose and be the best in the world.’ Money is a by-product. All of us eat the same dal-roti. Always chase your purpose. Always have a purpose. Be passionate about things you do. Dreams are something that you don’t have when you sleep. Dreams should be what keeps you awake. All this money, when you take it seriously, will disappear otherwise’.

Read More»

BSNL-MTNL merger: DoT working on plan, likely to approach Cabinet by June-end

Telecom ministry feels a govt operator important to keep a check on cartelisation

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to develop a plan for the stage-wise merger of loss-making state-run telecom operators BSNL and MTNL, and is expected to approach the Union Cabinet with the proposal by June. The telecom ministry feels that a pan-India government operator is important for the sector to keep a check on cartelisation by private players. It anticipates that the ongoing consolidation in the industry will lead to four private players — Bharti Airtel and Telenor, Reliance Jio, the merged entity of Vodafone India-Idea Cellular and the firm created out of the merger of Reliance Communications, MTS and Aircel.

On the merger of BSNL and MTNL, former DoT secretary J S Deepak told the parliamentary standing committee on information technology, “We are working on a plan… I would not say that we have a plan of merging these companies in phases.”

He said, “The experience of Air India and Indian Airlines, which you have pointed out, is something before us, which is not a happy experience, but we realised that there would be some synergy in merger.” On the merger plan and timeline, Deepak said, “We may have to do it in stages and we are working to develop a plan. I would want to take it to (the) Cabinet before the end of June, and as you have directed, as soon as it is ready, we will share it with this committee.”

DoT informed the committee that the launch of Reliance Jio Infocomm’s (Jio) free voice and data till March 31 and low prices on data thereafter, while keeping voice free, has “disrupted” the “already highly-leveraged” telecom industry to a great extent and has forced rival operators to come out with matching tariffs to retain subscribers.

The ministry said: “The present cut-throat competition will lead to high operation costs, low EBITDA and low revenues. For warding it off, CPSE (BSNL) is taking all proactive measures within its powers to meet challenges ahead.”

Deepak told the panel that the current consolidation drive in the sector will lead to four private players, adding that one of them will be the entity that will come out of the proposed merger of Vodafone and Idea, who have informed the ministry that they are in “conversation”. Besides, he also informed the panel about the merger of Reliance Communication with Aircel and MTS and that of Bharti with Telenor (this merger was announced earlier this month). “So there is place for a fifth player. As per the competition index for telecom in India, competition increases till there are five players and after that it levels off. So we should have five players, especially as many of them have a tendency and possibility of cartelisation. So that way a pan-India government operator is necessary.” The demand for the merger of the two public sector enterprises is not new. The issue has been hanging fire for the past five-six years. In 2015, DoT had planned to close the merger of the two firms by July-end, but this could not happen due to various procedural hurdles. The government had even mandated IIM-Bangalore to prepare a report on the merger. Then in December 2015 again, a plan was put forth under which was BSNL was to take over the operations of MTNL on a revenue-sharing basis, but this again did not happen.

Even last week, the parliamentary committee on petitions, in a report tabled in the Lok Sabha, mooted the need for a merger of BSNL and MTNL, which it said would give both the entities a chance for competition against the emerging consolidated private sector players.

 

Read More»

Reliance Jio Claims Foul Over Airtel’s Fastest 4G Network Claims

EEver since mobile data begin to dominate the telecom industry, companies have been trying to outpace each other by trumpeting the speeds their networks are generating whether it’s on television commercials or social media campaigns. Airtel, in particular, has been aggressively advertising its network as the “The Fastest 4G Network Ever” for over a year across the country. However, we’ve learned from people familiar with the matter, that Reliance Jio is unhappy with Airtel’s claims as it looks flawed due to a drastic bug found in Ookla’s Speedtest app.

The defect in Ookla’s Android app has been displaying incorrect results whenever you run a speedtest on a Dual SIM handset. It only takes into account the network on which the calls have been assigned irrespective of the data settings. Hence, for instance, if you’ve configured Airtel for calls and Reliance Jio for data, it will show the network speeds of Airtel no matter on which SIM slot it has been inserted. Considering the fact that Ookla is currently the leader in the speedtest industry responsible for a significant amount of evaluations and leaderboards, this is quite a major flaw which has gone unnoticed for a long time.

 

We, personally ran the tests a couple of times in various scenarios as well as smartphones and found the allegations to be completely true. 

It will be interesting to see how this pans out and what Airtel and even Ookla has to say about the matter.

We’ll continue updating this article once we get any official word from the parties involved. So, stay tuned for that.

 

Read More»

Micromax plans to sell 6 million Bharat 1, 2 4G VoLTE feature phones

 

Local handset maker Micromax wants to step back in to the smartphone market after a what appeared to be a rather quiet quarter. The company recently launched its Canvas Mega 2 Plus budget smartphone, is also teasing a flagship model with a dual camera module. However, with the level of competition of Chinese smartphone brands, Micromax is taking a rather unusual route to increase its overall market share and that would be by selling feature phones.

According to the Economic Times who interviewed Micromax chief marketing officer Shubhajit Sen, the company is aiming to sell about 5-6 million units of the upcoming Bharat 1 and Bharat 2 4G VoLTE smartphones in India.

The move according to the marketing officer would help Micromax increase its overall marketing share in India and compete better with Chinese brands.

To ensure this, Sen confirmed that Micromax is in talks with telecom operators for collaboration.

The same publication also revealed that Micromax’s Bharat 2 would be the first to launch in about two weeks, while the Bharat 1 would be launched later.

There is also a Bharat 3 feature phone in the works but no details regarding the same were shared.

The Bharat 1 is going to be the first 4G VoLTE feature phone and will be priced at Rs 1,999. Which begs the question why VoLTE on a tiny feature phone?

According to Sen there is a demand for such smartphones in the entry-level segment. The same comes from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

Read More»

Airtel Most Aggressive To Match Reliance Jio Prime Offer: Report

Bharti Airtel is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs. 146 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 1 GB data per day for Rs. 349. 

 

As Reliance Jio moves to open up its prime membership from April 1, Bharti Airtel is seen to be the most aggressive rival to match its prices, a research report has said.

Citi Research, a part of the Institutional Group, which also comprises the Citibank, says that all the incumbent telecom operators have moved to meet the Jio challenge, in various degrees, though Idea Cellular and Vodafone India have been behind Airtel in aggressiveness.

"We visited exclusive outlets of Bharti, Vodafone and Idea in Mumbai to compare price plans with Jio's Prime offer. While all have responded, their plans don't appear to be marketed as aggressively and currently appear more as a tool to reduce churn," the report said.


"Further, their reluctance to fully match Jio is likely due to the latter's intention to remain aggressive, combined with their concerns on revenue protection. Bharti, as market leader, is not only taking the lead to counter Jio but appears to be the most aggressive. It is followed by Idea and lastly Vodafone. Further tariff action would be contingent upon Jio's user traction," it added.

As part of Jio's Prime Offer unlimited voice (off-net/on-net) and 2GB per month is given at Rs. 149 and unlimited voice (off-net/on-net) and 1 GB data per day is available at Rs. 303. In addition, the company is also giving freebies -- cashback and additional data on earlier payment for prime offer.

Bharti Airtel is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs. 146 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 1 GB data per day for Rs. 349.

"Data was initially split equally between day and night time but now these limits have been removed. This plan, across incumbents, comes closest to Jio's Rs. 303 offer," the report said.

Idea Cellular is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs. 148 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 1 GB per day for Rs. 348. Data is split equally between day and night time (11pm-6am).

While Vodafone India is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs. 146 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 20 GB per month for Rs. 345 but only 10GB of each month's allowance can be used in the same month. Therefore, from second month onwards, subscribers can use 20GB -- 10GB of the previous month and 10GB of the ongoing month.

"Apart from the prime offers, Jio has also stated that it would offer 20 per cent more data allowance compared to incumbents' highest selling tariff plans," the report said.

"The incumbents appear to be trying to stave off further rounds of price cuts and while we expect Idea and Vodafone would match Bharti in near future, our conversation with incumbents' highlight they are now in wait-and-watch mode; further reaction would depend upon Jio's user traction," it added.

Read More»

Reliance Jio gifted ShopClues almost 50% consumer base

The ecommerce players which call them a marketplace of unstructured or local products recently launched Surety Program to work towards better product quality assurance for its sellers and buyers on its platform.

Ecommerce player ShopClues today said they have registered an increase of 40-50% consumer base from tier II, III and IV cities in the past four months. This growth is typically driven by the wider penetration that the LTE mobile network operator Reliance Jio has penetrated with its free call and internet services in smaller cities in India.

“Over the four months, there has been significant jump in the new customers that are coming from tier II, III and IV cities. A lot of these have been driven by, thanks to Mr Ambani, for his Jio penetration going up in the tier II, III & IV cities. We have been saying this that ShopClues is a platform for tier II, tier III cities and that is reflecting in the numbers now in terms of new consumers, jump in orders etc,” Radhika Agarwal, co-founder & chief business officer at ShopClues said.

“India is a mobile nation and because of this intense internet penetration through Jio network in the smaller towns, we have witnessed a jump in the range of 40-50% on consumers’ side from tier II, III and IV cities in the past four months,” Ambar Deep, AVP and head-Consumer Product, Shopclues said.

The ecommerce players which call them a marketplace of unstructured or local products recently launched Surety Program to work towards better product quality assurance for its sellers and buyers on its platform. ShopClues said, currently they have 5 lakh sellers on its platform and the program is going to help their sellers from the smaller cities to better sell on its platform.

“ShopClues is very focused on the Bharat of the country and that’s where differentiation coming in. Nowadays people do not ask us as how we are different from Amazon and Flipkart. 80-90 per cent of our products that we sell are unstructured in nature. These products don’t have very large brand behind them,” Sanjay Sethi, CEO and co-founder ShopClues said. 

Read More»

Indian Govt to Hold 5G Auction This Year

Spectrum auctions in India are rarely devoid of controversy and a planned sale of 5G airwaves later this year is unlikely to be any different. 

According to media reports, the government plans to sell spectrum in the 3GHz band along with 700MHz airwaves that it failed to sell during the country's last auction. Remaining spectrum in the 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz bands will also go up for sale.

But the telecom industry is going through tough times. The recent arrival in the market of disruptive new entrant Reliance Jio , which has signed up 100 million customers in just 170 days by offering free voice and data services, has put huge pressure on older players, triggering falls in sales and profits.

Unsurprisingly, all of India's service providers have suffered financially. Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Mumbai: BHARTIARTL), India's largest operator, recorded a profit drop of 55% in the third quarter of the current financial year, while Idea Cellular Ltd. , the third-biggest operator, recorded a loss of 4.79 billion Indian rupees ($72.3 million) in the same period.

The industry is also in the midst of consolidation. Airtel has recently acquired Telenor, Videocon Telecommunications Ltd. and Augere, while Reliance Communications Ltd. , the country's fifth-biggest operator, has taken over MTS and Aircel Ltd. Vodafone India , the number two player, is in talks with Idea Cellular about a merger.

That means telcos often face a difficult choice between channeling resources into fighting competition and defending their position in the market. In the current circumstances, they are also shying away from exploring or investing in new technologies.

On top of all that, the Indian market is no longer starved of spectrum, as was the case a few years ago. Thanks to government auctions over the last couple of years, most operators have sufficient spectrum to support the launch of new services.

Given levels of competition and industry debt, telcos are unlikely to be enthusiastic about the latest auction plans. Authorities bagged INR657.8 billion ($9.8 billion) in the last auction in October 2016, much less than the INR5.6 trillion ($83.9 billion) they had been targeting. Moreover, only 40% of the available spectrum was sold, with telcos totally ignoring 700MHz and 900MHz frequency bands because of the high reserve prices attached to them.

Bharti Airtel and BSNL, a government-backed telco, have recently signed an agreement with Nokia on 5G collaboration, hoping to spur research and adoption in India. But it is still debatable whether the Indian market is even ready to begin exploring 5G technology. Broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum was auctioned way back in 2010, and yet it has only started to have some kind of impact in the last couple of years, largely because of the lack of a mass-market device ecosystem. Data consumption, meanwhile, picked up only following the launch of services by Reliance Jio. In planning a 5G auction this year, India's government seems to be ignoring the realities of the Indian market

Read More»

Idea Data Recharges Over 1GB Will Soon Have the Same Price for 2G, 3G, 4G

Idea Cellular on Friday said it will allow data recharges for the same price across 2G, 3G
and 4G connectivity.

"Idea has now announced that it will allow open market data recharges of 1GB and above
to work on Idea's 2G, 3G or 4G network without any differential prices and this will be
rolled out nationally by March 31, 2017," a company statement said.

At present, a customer buys separate recharges for 2G, 3G or 4G technology at different
price points, and according to the operator, this "leads to confusion in the mind of the user,
apart from causing inconvenience."

Product categories like sachets, freedom packs would also move subsequently to unified
pricing and would be rolled out nationally in phases by May 31, 2017, the statement added.

In the statement, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, added, "Idea's
simplified data pricing will ensure data recharges across all technologies are available at the
same price point. Customer can choose the recharge price basis usage and volume
available in pack, without having to worry about the platform the customer's device is
logged in. As Idea's Pan India Broadband coverage continues to expand and reduces gap
with existing 2G coverage which covers 4 lac towns & villages, customers can now
seamlessly migrate services between technology & platform without worrying about
differential costs. We believe that our simplified plans will enable consumers to enjoy the
benefits of high speed Internet on smartphones and be a part of the Digital India revolution."

Read More»

WhatsApp witnessed 150 percent growth in usage over the previous quarter due to Reliance Jio’s free data: Report

Reliance Jio’s free data increased mobile internet usage by 29% in Q3 2016
The report also stated that WhatsApp witnessed 150 percent growth in usage over the previous quarter.

Driven by low-priced data offers, mobile internet usage was up by 29 percent in the period October-December 2016, over the previous quarter, a joint report by market research firm Kantar IMRB and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) said on Thursday. Search, social, messaging as a category was the topmost engaged and the average time spent grew by more than 50 percent. WhatsApp witnessed 150 percent growth in usage over the previous quarter.


“The entry of Jio with its free 4G data offer redefined the mobile landscape by triggering an increase in data usage amongst consumers and also led to a fundamental restructuring of the telecom industry,” said Hemant Mehta, Managing Director, Media and Digital, Kantar IMRB, in a statement.
While women spent nearly 1.3 times more time on online shopping portals as compared to men, it was entertainment that toppled shopping to become the second-most engaged category.



“The huge jump in mobile usage is not only propelled by free data plans but demonetization policy also is a significant contributor in driving news and media in the top five,” added Preeti Desai, Country Manager, Mobile Marketing Association India.

 

Read More»

Mumbai Indians and JioMoney partner to give users exclusive booking opportunity

Reliance Jio has partnered with Mumbai Indians to bring JioMoney users and Mumbai Indians’ fans an exclusive 6-day window.

Reliance Jio has partnered with Mumbai Indians to bring JioMoney users and Mumbai Indians’ fans an exclusive 6-day window where fans using JioMoney can be among the first to book vantage seats for the Mumbai Indians home matches at Wankhede Stadium.

Also, the Mumbai Indians third home game with Gujarat Lions will be dedicated to Reliance Foundation Education For All (EFA) where Mumbai Indians have reserved the entire stadium for its NGO partners’ underprivileged children.

The online ticket sales for Mumbai Indians’ home games in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2017 have commenced on www.mumbaiindians.com.

The tickets will be available for purchase through various other online payment modes starting March 22.

Some of the merchants that have recently integrated JioMoney as a payment option for their customers include Raymond’s, Mainland China, Saravana Bhavan, Apollo Hospitals, Spencer’s among others.

The PPI wallet service has more than 80 active billers and utility service providers. The app has so far received 15 million downloads.
The e-wallet is also accepted at more than 1 million brick-n-mortar (physical) merchants.

Read More»

Reliance Jio effect: 'Smaller players looking to exit'

Buyouts, mergers and quick exits -- as India's richest man shakes up the country's ultra-competitive mobile market, telecommunications companies are scrambling to either consolidate or cut their losses and run.

Norwegian multinational Telenor recently became the latest to quit India and analysts expect other brands will disappear as intense price wars sparked by tycoon Mukesh Ambani mean thinning profit margins.

"Most of the smaller players will find it difficult to grow by themselves and will be looking for exit options," Bhasker Canagaradjou, head of research at Ipsos Business Consulting in Mumbai, told AFP.

India's multi-billion dollar telecoms sector had a dozen companies battling for customers as recently as 2010. Now, there is around half that number and industry watchers say soon there will be only four.

The race to consolidate has hastened since Ambani sent shock waves through the sector in September when he launched Reliance Jio's 4G network with a free service for the rest of 2016 that was later extended to April.

The audacious offer was followed by vastly cheaper data plans and free voice calls for life, forcing rattled competitors to slash their own tariffs to maintain market share while also seeking extra investment.

India's telecoms sector, which global research firm International Data Corporation estimates will have market revenue of $37 billion this year, has long been a risky and costly endeavour for companies.

Network operators have to overcome regulatory difficulties to purchase expensive wireless spectrum to provide services that are often plagued by dodgy reception, frequent call drops and fluctuating internet speeds.

But Jio's arrival has added a new dimension as major players, including Vodafone and Idea, explore tie-ups to match the deep pockets of the Reliance Industries-backed telecoms company, while others are being forced to call it a day.

Telenor announced in late February that market leader Bharti Airtel would acquire its Indian operations, saying the amount of investment needed to compete in the crowded sector would not offer a worthwhile level of return.

The withdrawal came after Videocon Telecom told subscribers in January that it planned to cease operations and pull out of the market. Aircel and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) have sold up since the beginning of 2016.

Jio signed up 100 million users in its first six months and wants to lead the market with a 50 percent share by 2021, eyeing Airtel's status as India's largest telecoms provider.

Airtel's deal with Telenor will see it boost its own subscriber numbers by around 40 million and greatly enhance its spectrum coverage as it battles to fend off Jio's ambitious target.

"(The Telenor-Airtel agreement) is the latest sign that the entry of aggressive new operator Reliance Jio is spurring incumbents to consolidate to better meet the intense competition and weaker telcos to exit altogether," Fitch Ratings said.

Airtel's position is also under threat from British mobile phone behemoth Vodafone and Mumbai-based Idea Cellular. Vodafone announced in January that it was in talks to merge its Indian unit with Idea in their own response to Jio.

Global brokerage firm CLSA estimates that the pair would command a revenue market share of 43 percent by the start of the 2019-20 financial year, ahead of Airtel on 33 percent, if they combined. Jio would have 13 percent.

Reliance Communications (Rel Comm) -- owned by Ambani's younger brother Anil Ambani -- has been responsible for much of the consolidation at the lower end of the market.

Rel Comm announced that Aircel was merging with it around a fortnight after Jio's launch. It had already purchased Russian conglomerate Sistema's Indian telecoms business, branded MTS, earlier in 2016 and is now reportedly in talks with Tata Group's loss-making teleservices unit to join forces.

Indian telecoms analyst Baburajan Kizhakedath told AFP he expected the Tata Docomo brand to disappear altogether while recent Indian newspaper reports have said that the loss-making state operators BSNL and MTNL are in talks to merge.

Read More»

Does ‘Buy One Get One Free Offer’ show Reliance Jio’s nervousness?

On February 21, Reliance Jio chairman MukeshAmbani said that its free tariff scheme would end on March 31. He announced an attractive plan of 1 GB data usage per day and unlimited calls at Rs 303 for 28 days at a one-time fee of Rs 99.

Registration for new tariff plans started on March 1. Within a few days, the company further sweetened its offer through ‘Buy One Get One Free’ scheme. Under this scheme, the company is offering an additional 5GB data for its Rs 303 plan if customers recharge before March 31.
Now the question is what was the need of launching ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offer within a few days of starting registration of customers for paid services? Does it mean that lukewarm response for its Rs 303 tariff plan under its prime membership scheme forced it to launch ‘Buy One Get One Offer’.
On Tuesday, I was in a panel discussion on telecom tariff on a Business TV channel. During advertisement break, the anchor told me that she has also got a Reliance Jio SIM but she wouldn’t continue with its services after March 31. Both Airtel and Vodafone had improved services, while Jio’s quality of services was still an issue.

Prompted by the anchor’s response, we did a small survey of about 20 shops and Jio Centres in Delhi. We wanted to find out how many subscribers who registered for its free services had registered for its services.

Employees at the Jio Centres told us they were hopeful that about 50-60% of the total subscribers would register for prime membership. However, the shops not owned by Reliance Jio said that only about 30-40% of the free customers would retain their services once it becomes paid.It is possible that many subscribers who bought SIMS from these shops are registering online for paid services.
It is a clear indication that the customer response to paid service is not overwhelming despite Rs 303 plan. That is the reason that it was forced to make the deal sweeter through ‘Buy One Get One Offer’.
These are the same shops where the crowd went out of control when Jio launched its services in September 2016. In some of the shops police was called for controlling the crowd. Reliance JIo officials proudly tweeted photos showing crowd outside these shops.

“The fact that Jio started offering ‘Buy One Get One Offer’ to its customers within a few days of registration for its paid services shows its desperation. It is a clear sign of nervous.”

Read More»