The entry of Reliance Jio into India’s already crowded telecom market is expected to shake things up, and that’s an understatement. Reliance Jio tariffs and rollout plans were announced Thursday by Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani at the company’s AGM in Mumbai. He unveiled Reliance Jio’s highly-anticipated 4G service with a bouquet of offers and services.
The biggest highlight, which grabbed everyone’s eyeballs during the launch, was Reliance Jio’s ‘free voice calls’, even on roaming. Yes, you read that right. Mukesh Ambani revealed that there will be no charges while making calls anywhere in India, and the users will only pay for mobile data.
(Also see: Reliance Jio Postpaid Plans Detailed: What You Need to Know)
Breaking the silence over the Reliance Jio’s tariff plans, Ambani said that the company’s simple and clean tariff plans start from a pocket-friendly one-day Internet plan costing Rs. 19, which offers you unlimited calling (both voice and VoLTE, even on roaming) along with 100MB of usable data, plus SMS (up to a cap of 100 per day as per Trai’s rule). You can learn about Reliance Jio’s tariff plans in our detailed Reliance Jio tariff plans guide.
(Also see:How to Switch to Reliance Jio and Keep Your Current Number)
Until Thursday, the country saw thousands queuing up to get Jio’s free SIM with company’s ‘Jio Preview Offer’. As we mentioned, for now, the Jio SIM was only available to users of a handful of OEMs. Coming this Monday, Reliance Jio will be available to anyone and the SIM will work on all available handsets that support VoLTE. Under the ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, all new and existing users are entitled to enjoy free calling, messaging, and data services until December 31.
(Also see: Reliance Jio Plans List, Including Ones Mukesh Ambani Didn’t Show on Stage)
So, if you are fascinated by Reliance Jio’s offers and want to give the services a try, here is a guide on how to obtain and activate a Reliance Jio SIM card, and setup services like voice over LTE (VoLTE):
Getting the Reliance Jio SIM card
Before its official launch, Reliance Jio SIM cards were available at all Reliance-owned Digital Stores, Digital Xpress, and Digital Xpress Mini stores throughout the country. Now that the announcement has been made, Reliance Jio SIM should be available at your neighbourhood telecom store as well. He also introduced eKYC customer verification to activate SIM cards almost instantly when you buy them. You can head to the company website to know where you can get the SIM cards near you.
(Also see: Reliance Jio 4G Plans, SIM Activations, Network Launch, and Everything Else You Need to Know)
Documents you will need to get a Reliance Jio SIM card
With the eKYC process, you’ll need to produce your Aadhaar card to the get the instant activation. Just head to one of the above-mentioned Reliance-owned stores near your along with your Aadhaar card. The Aadhaar card serves as both your address proof and identity proof, but if you don’t have one, you’ll have to submit other documents for these proofs, the list of which can be found on the Reliance Jio website.
(Also see: Reliance Jio SIM Available to Everyone From September 5, Free to Use Till December 31)
Alongside, you’ll need two passport-size photographs. You’ll get the Reliance Jio SIM card as soon as you complete the process of verification. Just remember to carry your original documents for verification alongside the photocopies you’ll be submitting, and make sure the photos are recent.
Activating your Reliance Jio SIM card
After you receive the SIM card, you’ll be prompted to follow the steps sent by the company to your registered email address. Since the activation and billing process is entirely online, you can get the receipts through your emails and SMS as well. Reliance Jio will also tele-verify your phone number to complete the entire activation and verification process.
VoLTE activation
To activate VoLTE, the way you make voice calls on the Reliance Jio network, you’ll need to make a call on 1977. Tele-verification process will be carried out on the same call. Don’t forget to have your Jio SIM purchase bill and other documents ready beforehand.
(Also see: Reliance JioFi – How to Get Started With Jio’s 4G LTE Hotspot)
We have already emphasised on how people are impatiently waiting to get Reliance Jio SIM cards, and we’d like to warn you are likely to encounter lengthy queues come Monday.