Reliance Jio might not be the first choice of telecom service for its subscribers. As per a new study by Bengaluru-based market research firm, Velocity MR, 82 percent of Jio’s customers use the service as their secondary SIM, while only 18 percent use it as their primary SIM, suggesting that Jio is mostly playing second fiddle in the telecom market.
As per the study, Jio successfully attracted subscribers in droves with its free data and calling offers, but call drops remains a “major concern” for the telecom provider. Perhaps this is the reason why users prefer to use a Jio connection for data rather than calling.
However, it should be noted that the study was conducted among 2000 plus mobile users, of the 112.55 million Jio subscribers. So while it may not be the most accurate representation of Jio’s customer base, it makes for a decent sample size for a survey of this nature. The study was conducted with mobile users in the age group of 18 to 45 (70:30 male to female split), across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Furthermore, the study showed that 4 in every 10 respondents used Reliance Jio’s services. The ‘free factor’ was too attractive for subscribers to pass on, ensuring that 86 percent of Jio subscribers who participated in the study plan to stick to their connections, despite the call drop issue.
The study also notes that a majority of Jio’s customer base is made up of prepaid subscribers, while Vodafone and Airtel enjoy the highest number of postpaid subscriptions. Vodafone has also been rated the best network when it comes to network consistency and sound quality, an area where Jio scores the lowest. Jio is at the bottom of the list when it comes to call drops, but Aircel and Docomo were found to be worse than the Mukesh Ambani-led telco.
Where Reliance Jio does excel, is call rates and data pack charges. Jio’s value added services like customer care and internet speeds were also rated highest amongst other incumbent telecom operators.
Those that do not subscribe to Jio’s services, choose to stick with their current providers because of the lack of a 4G phone or fear of changing their mobile numbers. In the conclusion of its study, Velocity MR notes, “The non-users seem to be playing the wait & watch game as the “free” factor doesn’t seem to be important for them. For the non-users, improving the network strength & providing fast 4G/ internet speed will make almost half the people to try using Jio.”