After facing criticism and a bunch of users reticent to start paying for services that they had been enjoying for free, Reliance Infocomm limited recently rolled out another complementary offer. Called SUMMER SURPRISE, the offer promised users who prescribed to Jio’s premium tier before April 15 the benefits of free data and voice calls for the subsequent three months. Quite a tempting offer however, the company is rolling it back after intervention from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
As per the company:
Today, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has advised Jio to withdraw the 3 months complimentary benefits of JIO SUMMER SURPRISE.
It added:
Jio is in the process of fully complying with the regulator’sadvice, and will be withdrawing the 3 months complimentary benefits of JIO SUMMER SURPRISE as soon as operationally feasible, over the next few days.
However, users who have already availed the JIO SUMMER SURPRISE offer prior to its discontinuation by paying out INR 99 and 303 and above, will continue receiving the benefits of the offer. That is, they will be eligible for free data and voice calls for the next three months.
This was the third time that Jio was attempting to make use of the insatiable human tendency to be attracted towards free stuff. Previously, Jio had offered users free service through its Welcome Offer, and then under the Happy New Year Offer. Both of these offers together saw the company’s subscriber base grow fast enough to start rivaling those of well entrenched telecom operators within a short span of few months.
Meanwhile, competitors must have heaved a big sigh of relief. Reliance Jio’s money burning antics had thrown them into disarray and had forced them to consider mergers in order to combat the threat of losing all their subscribers. With no more free goodies to dole out, Jio will have to ensure that the paid services it does provide are up to the mark. Users have been complaining regarding the quality of the 4G Internet it provides in certain parts of the country. With no more freebies to keep users enthralled, Reliance will have to play by the rules and improve the quality of its service to stay in the game.
