Reliance Jio has clearly set a benchmark in the Indian telecom industry and other telcos are following it to sustain their position.
Airtel, which is the largest telecom operator in the country, is working to tackle Jio's offers with some of its own noteworthy deals.
In response to Jio's Dhan Dhana Dhan offer, Airtel is offering a new prepaid plan at Rs399 where customers get 1GB 4G data per day, along with unlimited calls for 70 days. The telco is also offering 2GB data per day with unlimited calls for Rs349, but the validity on this plan is limited to 28 days.
With the Rs399 recharge, customers do not get free SMS, free outgoing calls while roaming, and free voice calls are limited to 300 minutes per day. But the best part of the offer is that the 1GB data per day is not divided between day and night.
The new prepaid plans are available to select existing customers, and you can find out if you are eligible by downloading the My Airtel app and check out the list of offers.
Airtel's new prepaid plans are the closest to Jio's Dhan Dhana Dhan plan so far. In fact, it is almost equal to what Jio is offering, which is more than enough to keep its massive user base from switching networks.
Reliance Jio is offering 84GB data for about 84 days with a recharge of Rs408, which also includes the prime membership cost of Rs99, which is mandatory if you are planning to switch from Airtel to Jio.
Existing Jio customers, however, pay just Rs309 to avail 1GB data per day, for 84 days.
In any comparison between Jio and Airtel, the quality of the network also plays an important role. Airtel has a wide coverage and stronger voice call coverage compared to Jio. While Jio entirely relies on its 4G towers, Airtel has lower bands available for customers to serve as backup coverage.
There have also been several speed test results shared on social media by users of Jio and Airtel, which show different winners at different times. Airtel won the fastest network title by Ookla network diagnosis firm last year and continues to claim the honor despite statements from Reliance Jio suggesting otherwise.
