Reliance Jio likely to launch Jio Payments Bank by the end of 2017: Report

After leading the price war in the telecom sector, and then making a grand debut in the foray of phone manufacturing with Reliance JioPhone, Reliance Jio is now reportedly working to introduce its very own payment service.
Mukesh Ambani led Reliance firm might name it -Jio Payments Bank.
A report published in Livemint stated that Jio is working towards introducing its very own payment service by the end of this year.
If the facility gets launched then it would be directly giving competition to recently launched Airtel's Payments Bank.
Citing sources, the Livemint report stated that the new venture would be 70:30 partnership between Reliance Industries and State Bank of India.
The operation of the Jio Payments Bank is scheduled to begin by December 2017.
"The payments bank was expected to launch its operations in October. The launch got delayed as the RBI had asked them (Jio Payments Bank) to demonstrate its capabilities to ensure it is ready for a glitch-free launch. The launch will now be in December," sources aware of the plan told Livemint.

Commenting on the launch of the Jio Payment Bank, a Jio official said, "The RBI wanted to be sure that the payments bank is fully compliant with all the regulations and is able to service its customers efficiently. The demonstrations are being made to assure the regulator that the standards of customer service will be sustainably maintained."

New strategy: Reliance Jio to launch broadband, TV services in early 2018


Reliance Jio is planning its next big disruption. After its successful launch of mobile services, the company is planning to target the broadband and television space.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Jio Infocomm is set to launch high-speed fibre to the home (FTTH) broadband services by early next year. The broadband services includes television services as well as internet in more than 30 cities, the Business Standard reported.

The company has already chalked out plans for the launch, in which it plans to cater to over 100 million TV households in cities including Tier II and III. Initially it has set a target to offer services to at least 50 million households through a dense fibre network, sources aware of the development told the business daily.
The firm already controls optic fibre of over 300,000 kilometres, half of which is through a long-term contract with Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications.
Earlier, while delivering speech in the annual general meeting, Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani, indicated that Jio was on track to offer high-speed broadband services and the infrastructure was in place and it would be the next big monetisation opportunity for the company.
Just like how Reliance Jio was launched last year, Jio broadband will also see similar lauch with premium offers to woo customers.
The company will offer ultra-high speed of up to 1 gigabit per second, set-top box as part of the package, which will be a home entertainment hub – offering TV channels, high-end gaming, video on demand, sources said.
According to the report, the company is conducting trials in limited markets in Mumbai and Delhi, with only internet services at speeds of 100 megabits per second and 100 gigabytes of data free of cost.
However, peers said that the market that Jio is looking to address is currently niche. "Only three million subscribers cough up over Rs 1,000 for high-speed broadband internet and only two million rustle up a similar amount per month for DTH or cable," BS reported quoting a source.

Reliance Jio says won't derive any benefits from IUC cut
Jio infact stated that the high cost IUC regime thus far has caused financial stress for the smaller and new operators.


MUMBAI: Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) has denied that the lowering of interconnect usage charge (IUC) would benefit the new entrant and in fact called the cut 'six years too late', highlighting that it should have happened as per regulator's directive in 2011.
...

'There is no question of any advantage from the new IUC regulation to Jio as it has already passed on all the benefits to customers. We deny any benefits to Jio," the Mukesh Ambani owned telecom operator​ said in a statement Wednesday​.
This was in response to the incumbents protesting that the IUC rate cut of 57% benefits only Jio and will lead to losses for a financial sector ​already ​under a debt of Rs 5 lakh crore.
arket leader Bharti Airtel had said ​the ​IUC rate, which has been arrived at in a completely non-transparent fashion, benefits only one operator which enjoys a huge traffic asymmetry in its favor. Vodafone in a statement on Tuesday night said this was a 'retrograde' decision which will ​benefit only Jio and impact the sector specially in the rural coverage.
Jio which analysts say will come to gain from the incumbents' loss denies these charges as well.
" References to financial stress in the industry or the need for IUC to promote rural coverage again shows the attitude of the incumbent operators wherein IUC is being treated as a subsidy that the Indian customers must pay to sustain these operators financially," said the company in response to ET's email queries.
Jio infact stated that the high cost IUC regime thus far has caused financial stress for the smaller and new operators.
The IUC rates was slashed to 6 paise a minute from the current 14 paise on Tuesday and the regulator said ​it ​would be brought down to 0 paise from 2020.
Jio said it was 'appalling that the incumbent operators', made allegations that the new rates were not transparent and baseless. "The incumbent operators have a history of opposing all the IUC regulations over the last 8 years, but have not been successful in thwarting passing of the benefits of lower IUC to customers",
The telco which has been fighting for the Bill and Keep model said the customers will gain from this order.

Trai may reject Reliance Jio’s demand to slash international termination rates

NEW DELHI: The telecom regulator is unlikely to reduce international termination rates (ITR) – a charge paid by operators to networks that receive calls – to the level of the local equivalent, as demanded by Reliance Jio, because the method of calculating costs varies in both cases.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India slashed the local interconnection usage charge (IUC) – paid by operators from where calls originate – by 57% to 6 paise a minute from October 1. 

 

The reduction in IUC hurts the top three telcos, which have more than 60% of the subscribers and receive more calls on their networks. Jio, which offers free voice services, has the most outgoing calls.

For international calls, foreign carriers pay local operators 53 paise a minute. As was the case with IUC and in contrast to Jio’s demand, India’s top telcos Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular want the international rate to be increased – to Rs1 initially and to Rs 3.50  ..

However, the regulator is “broadly clear” that the method used to calculate IUC may not be valid for international termination rates, said a senior Trai official, asking not to be identified. “We are still trying to figure out which model will work here,” the official said.

At the heart of the method used to determine IUC is the principle that one operator should not gain at the cost of a competitor. IUC is between two operators and the charges between them should be the “minimum avoidable charges,” the official said. “If we apply that in international calls, then it’s a straight 6 paise. But here, you are dealing with multiple foreign partners,” the official said.  

At the heart of the method used to determine IUC is the principle that one operator should not gain at the cost of a competitor. IUC is between two operators and the charges between them should be the “minimum avoidable charges,” the official said. “If we apply that in international calls, then it’s a straight 6 paise. But here, you are dealing with multiple foreign partners,” the official said. 

jio new plans after diwali 19th October 2017

WhatsApp Live Location, ZTE foldable phone, Reliance Jio diwali plans and more: Daily News wrap

Another day of the week comes to an end, and it definitely did not disappoint us. The day saw some interesting launches, rollouts and surprises. Where WhatsApp finally launched the long expected live location sharing feature, ZTE launched a dual-screen foldable smartphone. HMD Global surprised its fans with an invite for a launch event tomorrow, and Reliance Jio surprised its fans with some new Dhan Dhana Dhan plans for Diwali.

WhatsApp Live Location

The day began with the announcement of the long awaited live location sharing feature on WhatsApp, which will be rolled out on both iOS and Android in a few weeks. Enabled for both single and group chats, the feature essentially allows a user to share their real-time location with other WhatsApp user. A user can choose to share the location for 15 minutes, an hour or 8 hours, and can be stopped any time in between.

ZTE dual-screen foldable smartphone

Then came in the news of the launch of ZTE Axon M in the US, which is a dual-screen foldable smartphone. The smartphone features two 5.2-inch screens that can be folded to the size of a traditional smartphone. The phone has three unique modes to accommodate various users’ needs. With dual mode, the users can open different apps on each screen simultaneously. When extended, the two screens can become one larger screen and offer game or video experience similar to that of a tablet. The mirror mode provides people the option of sitting across each other
and watch the same content on one device.

Reliance Jio’s new tariff sees 15% hike; 84-day plan now costs Rs 459

Under the plan priced at Rs 459, Reliance Jio users get 1GB data daily for 84 days.

Reliance Jio customers will have to pay 15 percent more for its popular 84-day plan at Rs 459 from Thursday, under which subscribers get 1GB 4G data at high speed per day, according to information published on the company’s website. However, subscribers of Rs 149 plan will get 4GB of data for each billing cycle of 28 days under the new scheme “Diwali Dhamaka” compared to 2GB being offered at present.

It has also reduced recharge tariff for lower denomination and short-term plans besides offering data benefits under the schemes. Jio has introduced plan for Rs 52 with one-week validity and Rs 98 with 2 weeks that will offer its customers free voice, SMS, unlimited data (0.15 GB daily), as per its website. All plans of Jio will continue to offer unlimited voice calls even during roaming.
The Rs 459 plan will offer Jio customers unlimited services at 1GB high speed data per day for 84 days for prepaid users followed by data at curtailed speed, along with unlimited voice calling and access to Jio apps. The company has also reduced benefit under Rs 509 scheme, which offers 2GB of data per day, by reducing its validity or billing cycle from 56 days to 49. According, data at high speed gets reduced to 98GB from 112GB under previous scheme. Under this plan, data cost will be Rs 5.2 per GB.
The Rs 999 plan which offered 90 GB of 4G data without cut in download speed will now offer 60 GB at high speed data for 3 months. Jio has introduced Rs 1,999 plan which will have six months validity and offer 125 GB data at unrestricted high speed. Under the new scheme, the validity of plan priced at Rs 4,999 will be for a year instead of 210 days under the previous scheme. However, customers opting for it will get unrestricted access to 350 GB high speed data for the plan period compared to 380 GB offered earlier for same price.

Reliance Jio offers 100 pc cashback on recharge in 'Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan offer'

Reliance Jio subscribers would be eligible for a 100 per cent cashback of Rs 400 on a recharge of Rs 399 in a new Diwali offer.

Reliance Jio subscribers would be eligible for a 100 per cent cashback of Rs 400 on a recharge of Rs 399 in a new Diwali offer, the company said on Thursday.

IANS reported that the cashback of Rs 400 would be available in the form of 8 vouchers of Rs 50 denomination under the new 'Jio Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan offer'.
"All Jio customers who would recharge in this offer period (October 12 - 18) with Rs 399 will be eligible for a 100 per cent cashback offer of Rs 400 in the form of 8 vouchers of Rs 50 denomination," IANS quoted sources as saying.
These vouchers can be redeemed, one at a time, against future Jio recharges of Rs 309 and above plans and against Rs 91 and above data add-ons.
The company sources also hinted that a tariff plan revision is likely to happen on October 19.
"All Jio prepaid customers who recharge between the festive period of October 12-18, with Rs 399 (three months all unlimited) can continue to enjoy the current tariff benefits," sources clarified.

                                             Reliance jio's strategy to attract customer

Currently in its beta phase, Jio's commercial launch is expected to happen later this year. The network is undergoing extensive testing in order to ensure that the entire experience is seamless and user-friendly.

Providing competition to rivals

Jio may also offer the mobile number portability (MNP) facility to customers from other networks in order to extend its consumer base. Additionally, it may also provide unlimited voice calling and data services to the MNP customers.

A three-month long free access to Jio's services may go a long way towards ensuring that subscribers switch their preferences to Jio. The telecom company's affordable prepaid plans will also provide tough competition to incumbent operators.

Smart phone devices

Reliance LYF smart phones are 4G-enabled and are equipped with LTE technology. Additionally, Reliance Jio also partnered up with Samsung by offering free Jio services to customers for a period of 90 days on the purchase of select Samsung Galaxy smart phone models. The telecom company will also partner with Apple iPhones, which will further expand its reach.

Tariff plans

Reliance Jio is trying to attract users by modifying its pricing to not only suit individual preferences but also to dominate the current telecom market. Jio's premium 4G services, offered at affordable rates, are causing rivals to modify their pricing strategies too.

As part of its marketing strategy, Reliance Jio may offer several night data packs that will allow prepaid users to enjoy Jio's high-speed services at affordable prices. The plans are expected to offer a wide variety of options in terms of data and pricing.

Marketing strategy

Reliance Jio is gearing up for its launch which may occur in late August this year. In order to expand its customer base, Jio has already associated with several smart phone manufacturers. This partnership is extremely beneficial for smart phone buyers as it grants them free access to Jio's free voice and data services for three months.

Future plans

Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio currently has a 1.5 million strong customer base, including the major stakeholders, LYF smart phone owners, and business partners of Reliance. According to a Morgan Stanley Research report, the telecom provider may garner over 30 million subscribers adding up to revenue worth USD  1 billion by the end of the fiscal year.

The plan seems to focus on increasing Jio's smart phone sales in order to garner maximum consumers. The company's partnership with Samsung also boosted its sales by 15-20 percent according to an industry source. An alliance with Apple iPhones is expected to follow soon. - India PR Wire

Reliance Jio Foots Chunk Of Bill For Cut-Price Phone, Bets On Data

The JioPhone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of Rs. 1,500 ($23.05), will cost at least Rs. 2,500 ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters

Mumbai: Reliance Industries' telecom upstart Jio is footing at least 40 percent of the cost of its basic 4G phone, two sources familiar with the matter said, as it bets on recovering the investment by luring in millions of new customers.

The JioPhone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of Rs. 1,500 ($23.05), will cost at least Rs. 2,500 ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters.

That means Jio will likely carry more than $150 million in costs for every 10 million JioPhones it sells.

And the company aims to build a subscriber base of between 250 million and 300 million users in the next two years, said one of the sources.

Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.

Some Reliance investors may flinch at the cost of subsidies, but the scale of the outlay is a clear signal of the level of Jio's ambition, as it targets an audience of some 500 million who still cannot afford smartphones in India.

Jio's advanced voice over LTE (VoLTE) network only works with 4G enabled devices, inaccessible to many even at subsidised rates. The significantly cheaper JioPhone, however, will open the Internet to a less affluent segment of Indians for the very first time.

"The 3,000-rupee smartphone was not cutting it," the second source said. "Reliance is making a bold attempt with this phone and data will be the key driver for them."

Analysts estimate a majority of Indian feature phone users have an average revenue per user (ARPU) of rupees 50 or lower. JioPhone's Rs. 153 monthly plan for so-called pre-paid users aims to drive up this ARPU, the first source said.

Jio, backed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year, by offering free voice and cut-price data for months.

Over half a dozen wireless carriers compete for market share in major Indian cities, but Reliance, the first source said, sees the telecom market being winnowed down into a three player market with just Jio and current leader Bharti Airtel and the Vodafone-Idea combine likely left standing.

The JioPhone is currently being manufactured in China, based on a unit reviewed by Reuters, but Reliance is likely to tap the likes of Foxconn and Flextronics, which have facilities in India - to assemble it in the country, a Reliance executive told Reuters previously.

The phone's chipset, being supplied by Qualcomm and China's Spreadtrum, is likely to be its most expensive component while batteries are likely to cost $3-$4, the first source said.

Reliance Jio's Strategy to Attract Customers

            

Currently in its beta phase, Jio's commercial launch is expected to happen later this year. The network is undergoing extensive testing in order to ensure that the entire experience is seamless and user-friendly.

Providing competition to rivals

Jio may also offer the mobile number portability (MNP) facility to customers from other networks in order to extend its consumer base. Additionally, it may also provide unlimited voice calling and data services to the MNP customers.

A three-month long free access to Jio's services may go a long way towards ensuring that subscribers switch their preferences to Jio. The telecom company's affordable prepaid plans will also provide tough competition to incumbent operators.

Smart phone devices

Reliance LYF smart phones are 4G-enabled and are equipped with LTE technology. Additionally, Reliance Jio also partnered up with Samsung by offering free Jio services to customers for a period of 90 days on the purchase of select Samsung Galaxy smart phone models. The telecom company will also partner with Apple iPhones, which will further expand its reach.

Tariff plans

Reliance Jio is trying to attract users by modifying its pricing to not only suit individual preferences but also to dominate the current telecom market. Jio's premium 4G services, offered at affordable rates, are causing rivals to modify their pricing strategies too.

As part of its marketing strategy, Reliance Jio may offer several night data packs that will allow prepaid users to enjoy Jio's high-speed services at affordable prices. The plans are expected to offer a wide variety of options in terms of data and pricing.

Marketing strategy

Reliance Jio is gearing up for its launch which may occur in late August this year. In order to expand its customer base, Jio has already associated with several smart phone manufacturers. This partnership is extremely beneficial for smart phone buyers as it grants them free access to Jio's free voice and data services for three months.

Future plans

Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio currently has a 1.5 million strong customer base, including the major stakeholders, LYF smart phone owners, and business partners of Reliance. According to a Morgan Stanley Research report, the telecom provider may garner over 30 million subscribers adding up to revenue worth USD  1 billion by the end of the fiscal year.

The plan seems to focus on increasing Jio's smart phone sales in order to garner maximum consumers. The company's partnership with Samsung also boosted its sales by 15-20 percent according to an industry source. An alliance with Apple iPhones is expected to follow soon.

Traditional Marketing Mix – The 4 Ps of Marketing

What is the Traditional Marketing Mix ?
The Traditional Marketing Mix model (also known as the 4 P’s) can be used by marketers as a tool to assist in defining the marketing strategy. Marketing managers use this method to attempt to generate the optimal response in the target market by blending 4 (or 5, or 7) variables in an optimal way. It is important to understand that the Marketing Mix principles are controllable variables. The Marketing Mix can be adjusted on a frequent basis to meet the changing needs of the target group and the other dynamics of the marketing environment.

1st ‘P’ of Marketing – Product
Customer Touch points – Functionality; Quality; Appearance; Packaging; Brand;Service; Support; Warranty The Product should fit the task consumers want it for, it should work and it should be what the consumers are expecting to get. Apart from this, while crafting the product one needs to keep in mind that consumers should be willing to or should be able to pay for it. Incapacity to pay for the product technically leads to low demand.

2nd ‘P’ of Marketing – Price
Customer Touch points – List Price; Discounts; Financing; Leasing Options; Allowances.
It is important to assess how much are the intended customers willing to pay for the product. Nowadays, the consumer is very sensitive for price of the product. Though in a  market like India, consumers want to most of value for money product, however, extremely competitive low rate might be perceived as low on quality. Thereby, marketers need to chalk out an ideal pricing structure to get the most of their product life cycle. Pricing structure is also important not only for end consumers but also channel partners as they the ones increasing product’s reach and should end up making adequate money for their efforts.

3rd ‘P’ of Marketing – Place
Customer Touch points – Locations; Logistics; Channel members; Channel Motivation; Market Coverage; Service Levels; Internet; Mobile.
The product should be available at the right place at the right time and in right quantity for a product to flourish. Placement of the product is very much effected by the pricing structure and how enthusiastic channel partners are with the product.

4th ‘P’ of Marketing – Promotions
Customer Touch points – Advertising; Public Relations; Message; Direct Sales; Sales; Media; Budget.
It is important to educate customers about your product. The communication can be around need of the product, utility of the product or how to use the product. Communications in all forms strike a recall with the product and should be used wisely. As small change in the way one communicates about the product can lead to drastic change in sales numbers.

Reliance Jio inks multi-year deal with Siddharth Roy Kapur's production venture

Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) and Siddharth Roy Kapur's media production venture 'Roy Kapur Films' (RKF), announced a multi-year association.

As a part of the deal RKF will curate, develop, commission and produce original digital video content for the Jio platform. This will include finite and continuing series, long form and short form content across genres, and over time, 'First on Jio' feature films. RKF will establish the 'Jio Originals' banner from scratch and the mandate is to make it one of the most extensive online digital video catalogues. This exclusive Jio Original content will be available to more than 128 million Jio subscribers all over the country.

  Siddharth Roy Kapur

Speaking on the association, Jyotindra Thacker (CIO Reliance Industries) from Jio says in a media statement, "India is the leading country in the world for mobile data usage, and a significant part of this usage is driven by video content. Jio currently carries over 5.5 crore hours of video daily on its network. This association with Roy Kapur Films will help us to power forward towards our goal of delivering the highest quality video entertainment content to our mobile subscribers. We are happy to partner with him in the creation of a creative ecosystem that enables everyone to fully live and experience the Jio Digital Life."
Siddharth Roy Kapur (founder) RKF adds, "Never before has so much entertainment been so accessible to so many. Our goal is to provide Jio subscribers with a wide variety of content that caters to their diverse tastes and sensibilities, and keeps them coming back for more. Partnering with Jio to produce digital video content and sharing in its long term vision for an Indian digital revolution and global digital leadership is truly exciting!"
This unique collaboration between RKF and Jio marks a milestone in the confluence between the rapidly evolving entertainment, technology and telecom sectors in India

jio services

Reliance Jio 4G services: Here is all you need to know about Jio Apps

Reliance 'Jio Welcome Offer' also gives access to a suite of Jio apps offering music, chat, payment and other services.

Reliance has announced the commencement of its Jio 4G services from September 5. With RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s announcement, Reliance Jio transitions from its Preview Offer to newly announced ‘Jio Welcome Offer’. Under ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, anybody can avail Jio 4G ready SIM card and activate it using e-KYC. The service has been conceived for the internet and high-speed data transfer.
With ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, users get unlimited 4G data till December 31 and then the service will migrate to paid model. Existing Jio Preview Users will be migrated to ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, says the company on its website.
What do you get with Reliance ‘Jio Welcome Offer’?
With ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, users get unlimited 4G data access, unlimited 4G data access when connected to a Jio hotspot, unlimited 4G data at night and unlimited free voice calling. The idea with Jio 4G is to make voice calls irrelevant and push users towards using data for every need.

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Reliance ‘Jio Welcome Offer’ also entitles users access to a wide suite of Jio apps, which offers access to on-demand music, video, chat to name a few.
In case you are wondering, here is everything you need to know about Jio apps:
MyJio: As the name implies, MyJio app will serve as the hub for all your mobile activity with Jio SIM. Like MyVodafone and MyAirtel apps, MyJio will show users their balance and validity for data, calling and SMS packs. The app can also be used to check usage and generate detailed account statements for up to 6 months. The app also serves as one-stop shop for locating JioNet hotspots, where you can access free WiFi from your WiFi balance.
MyJio can be downloaded on any Android or iOS device and uses traditional login procedure. The app is currently the top free app on Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.