Amid lockdown, JioPhone users get validity extension, free calling minutes
What's the story
Reliance Jio is pulling out all the stops to help its customers amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown imposed in India to contain the coronavirus.
In the latest development, the telco has announced to extend the validity of the prepaid plans for all JioPhone users. Moreover, JioPhone customers will also get 100 minutes of voice calls and 100 SMSes for free till April 17.
Benefit
JioPhone users will get free incoming calls till April 17
With the validity extension, all JioPhone users will continue to receive free incoming calls even if their existing plan expires. All such subscribers will also receive complimentary 100 minutes of calling for making voice calls to non-Jio numbers within India. However, this benefit is valid until April 17.
Notably, Jio-to-Jio calls are already free for all users with an active plan.
Other measures
The company has also introduced other benefits for its customers
Over the past few days, Jio has introduced a host of freebies and services to help its customers in this time of crisis.
The company has started offering a free 10Mbps broadband connection to new users with 100GB high-speed data and a 30-day service period.
It has also introduced a new facility that allows customers to recharge their prepaid numbers through bank ATMs.
Information
Reliance has also committed Rs. 500 crore to relief fund
Jio's parent company, Reliance Industries Limited, has also committed Rs. 500 crore to PM's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund to help the nation combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details
Other telcos have also extended plan validity for prepaid users
Much like Jio, Airtel has also extended the plan validity for over 80 million prepaid users in India. The telco has even credited these users with talk time worth Rs. 10 for calls and SMSes.
Separately, Vodafone Idea and BSNL have announced similar benefits, with the former offering extended plan validity to over 100 million subscribers.