The extended beta tests undertaken by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd has the industry questioning both the regulator and its regulations. Reliance Jio has gradually extended its 90-day trial to nearly 2 million subscribers across the country, by offering unlimited downloads, free of cost.
No Regulations for Trial
The current regulations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India are silent on the scope of trials that can be undertaken by a new entrant into the industry.
The Reliance Jio test phase is a full-fledged commercial launch in the garb of testing, says Rajan Mathews, Director General Cellular Operators Association of India in an interview with BloombergQuint.
Jio refutes the charge and accuses the COAI of favouring the incumbents.
When Reliance Jio opened up its 4G services for the general public, it said it was doing so on a trial basis.
While the service was initially available for select handset owners, Reliance Digital outlets eventually started giving free sim cards in limited numbers daily to anyone with a 4G handset.
Through the trial period, a consumer got free 4G data and voice calling service for 90 days.
The company in its annual report of 2015-2016 said it aimed to expand its reach to 90 percent of the country and already has about 1.5 million test users on board.
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