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Reliance Jio Offers Discounts To Retain Users During Pandemic

Reliance Jio will provide 300 free minutes of outgoing calls a month and double the recharge value.

A sim card packet for Reliance Jio, the mobile network of Reliance Industries Ltd., is displayed at a store in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
A sim card packet for Reliance Jio, the mobile network of Reliance Industries Ltd., is displayed at a store in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. will provide 300 free minutes of outgoing calls a month or 10 minutes a day to its JioPhone users who have not been able to recharge due to the pandemic, a period when the number of inactive users has risen for the carrier.

The offer will also double the recharge value for a JioPhone user, according to its statement. For a Rs 75 recharge, the subscriber will get an additional Rs 75 free, it said. Announced along with Reliance Foundation, the offer will enhance connectivity and affordability, the company said.

The move may not only help Reliance Jio retain users but also support its deteriorating active subscriber ratio. The number of inactive users for the operator has risen during the pandemic. According to latest data available with the telecom regulator, Reliance Jio has the highest share of inactive users among peers at 21.8% of total subscribers as of February, against Bharti Airtel Ltd.'s 2.5% and Vodafone India Ltd.'s 9.4%.

Jio had launched the ‘New JioPhone 2021 offer’ in March to boost subscriber addition. But it also weakened the prospects of a tariff hike in the near term.