Reliance Jio has launched a revised Rs 999 prepaid plan for its customers in India, introducing enhanced features following a previous price hike. This update comes as the former Rs 999 plan’s price increased to Rs 1199 due to tariff adjustments.
The new Rs 999 plan is now available on Jio's website for all prepaid users to recharge. One of its standout features is an extended validity period of 98 days, which is notably longer compared to most other current plans.
Daily Data Allocation: Users receive 2GB of daily data, alongside unlimited 5G data.
Voice Calls: The plan includes unlimited voice calls.
SMS: 100 SMS per day are also provided.
The new Rs 999 plan translates to a daily cost of Rs 10.19, which is lower than the previous Rs 999 plan’s daily cost of Rs 11.89. However, while the daily cost is reduced, the cost per GB of data has increased. The previous plan offered 3GB of daily data and 84 days of validity, making its daily cost cheaper overall.
With the extended validity of 98 days, the cost per GB under the new plan has risen to Rs 10.40. This represents a significant increase, approximately 160% higher than the old plan’s cost per GB of Rs 3.96. Despite the lower daily cost, the overall data cost has increased due to the new plan’s pricing structure.
The increase in Reliance Jio’s prepaid plan cost is part of a wider trend affecting the telecom sector. Tariffs have risen by approximately 11-25% across major players including Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel. This industry-wide hike reflects a general trend towards higher prices in both prepaid and postpaid plans.
In contrast, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has seen a boost in its customer base as a result of these tariff hikes. The state-owned telecom provider has gained approximately 2.50 lakh new users since the price increase, with an additional 25 lakh new connection requests.
Despite not yet transitioning to 5G, BSNL is poised to begin this transition next year, further strengthening its market position.
Conclusion
The introduction of Reliance Jio’s new Rs 999 prepaid plan offers extended validity and a lower daily cost, though it comes with a higher cost per GB of data. This adjustment reflects broader tariff increases across the telecom industry, with BSNL emerging as a beneficiary of the market shifts.