Jio Review - 3

Points to Ponder on 17-Nov-2017: Jio Part-3: RJIL Shortcomings

This part deals with the reasons of diminishing the popularity of Jio:

1. The most important aspect is the speed. Fortunately the availability of signal is good and the up-time is also good. But what it lacks is speed. In open and network covered areas it is good, but inside homes / multi storied apartments it is less than even the past FUP speed (earlier 256 Kbps, now 64 Kbps). They used to specify the speed of 30 Mbps (as I remember) when they started in 2016. Now they don’t even specify- they just say “4G speed”. There is no specific speed as 4G speed- varies between 15-50 Mbps, depending on the operator, technology, country, etc.

2. The software and Apps are not of quality- it looks like they were written by novices- many are not compatible with different UI (user interface, like MIUI). Additionally, they are not updated in real time.

3. The competitors have narrowed the gap between Jio rates and theirs. This are the reasons the new subscribers have gone down in number. Jio has recently (9th Nov) come up with a new promotional offer because of this.

4. Finally, I have a serious doubt that the data counter is not accurate- it shows excess- of course, I have no means to check.

These are my personal observations, after about 2 years of use.

Jio Review - 2

Points to Ponder on 9-Nov-2017: Jio Part-2: RJIL Shortcomings

The most important parameter to success is the speed of 4G internet. At the beginning the RJIL promised 30 Mbps (=3.75 MBps file transfer rate), which nobody ever got. Of course nobody believed it (it’s a tall order in India). But we expected at least 8 Mbps (=1 MBps file transfer rate). But unfortunately, at most places it hovers around only 128 Kbps (=16 KBps file transfer rate), which is a breach of contract. Personally, I have experienced the so called high speed in some open areas and signal strength boosted areas. Inside multi-storied buildings it is very poor. Now they don’t even mention the speed, they call it “High Speed 4G/LTE.

The next important parameter is HW / SW / Support Services. While the HW seems to be OK, the SW / Apps are falling short in quality. Most of the Apps don’t work in non-RJIL 4G phones (Message- “This App is not compatible for your device” or “This App is not available in your Country”), even though they claim so. Support software design is very poor- MyJio App doesn’t give the full / updated status. It is also not real time based.

The bottom line is the quality of service, which is lacking in several fronts. This will decide the future of Jio, after the cost of service equalises across the service providers.

Jio Review - 1

Thoughts for 05-Nov-2017: Jio Tricks (Part-1) RJIL USP

The period for one payment cycle is only 28 days instead of one month. It means there are 13 such cycles in a year instead of 12 – an increase of 8.33%.

The plans are time bound – and not data bound. This means that to retain the service one has to pay regularly – in case of data price you are allowed to use data fully at your own required / convenient rate.

The FUP for data is fixed daily – if you don’t use that in one day it is lost. If the FUP is fixed monthly / cycle-wise, then you can use it for bigger downloads on some days by saving on other days.

The Data Usage / consumption seems to be more than usual – may be the data counter is calibrated on the higher side.

But because of its very low price people have subscribed it.

According to their parlance:

Month means 28 Days

Unlimited Data means 1 GB (or FUP) per Day

Unlimited SMS means 100 per Day

I am an admirer of this Jio scheme of things. So I am giving some constructive remarks so that things may improve. I am afraid I may not remain so because of their so-called 4G speed. (To be continued- Part-2)