Reliance Jio Starts Charging 6 Paise per minute for calls to other Network

Reliance Jio announced that is has decided to start charging 6 paise a minute to subscribers making calls to other mobile networks.

In a statement Wednesday, Mukesh Ambani-led telco, which had promised to keep all voice calls free, said it was compelled to start charging its over 350 million users to recover the 6 paise a minute interconnect usage charge (IUC) it pays to other telcos, till the regulator brings the free down to zero.

But it will compensate its users by giving additional data, to increase effective in tariff for customers. Calls from Jio to Jio, to landline and those made over apps such as WhatsApp, will remain free.

All Jio customers who want to make a voice call to either Vodafone Idea or Airtel will have to buy an additional top-up voucher of Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 100 for additional IUC minutes.

For postpaid Jio customers will also be billed at 6 Paise per minute fr off-net outgoing calls. An increase in free data entitlement to the extent provided in the vouchers.

In a statement issued to the media, Reliance Jio said id had been forced to impose the outgoing call charge due to the IUC that operators need to pay for enabling off-net voice calls on their networks.

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The operator also claimed that due to bearing IUC from its resources. It had paid nearly Rs 13,500 crore to other operators in the last three years. While after the regulator in 2017 amended the IUC charge, other telcos continued to charge exorbitant tariffs. And increase the tariff for voice calls to around Rs 150 per minute.

Let’s take a look at top-up vouchers it’s offering users. I have attached below the list of top-up plans, showing how many IUC minutes and data you will receive on recharging Jio number.

If you recharge your Jio number after 10th October, you will have to complete an additional top-up to add IUC calling minutes to your Jio account. It’s only when a Reliance Jio user completes this recharge will they able to make outgoing calls to other telecom operators other than Jio.

Via: NDTV