Voice calls will be always free, reaffirms Jio

A senior Trai official's observation on Thursday that facility of free voice calls on Jio network is not among the tariff plans approved by the telecom regulator created confusion over one of the most promising features of the company's offer to its subscribers.Here are four points that should clear the air:

Will calls on Jio network be free for lifetime?

Yes, the company has reconfirmed that it will never charge for a voice call on its network. The free-calling offer is clearly mentioned in all the 10 pre-paid and seven post-paid tariff plans Jio has filed with the telecom regulator Trai. Since zero-tariff on voice is not part of any promotional package, it won't be affected by change or withdrawal of such packages.

Why did Trai say that free calls could end on December 3?

Senior Trai officials counted the free calling as part of Jio's promotional package.According to Trai regulations, a promotional offer cannot be valid for more than 90 days, which in Jio's case ends on December 3 (the company commercially launched services on September 5). The Trai officials had also said that Jio's base tariff plan, which proposes to bill voice calls (local and national) at 2 paise per second (Rs 1.20 per minute), does not make a mention of lifetime free calling. But Jio says all its tariff plans submitted with the regulator, in addition to the base plan, make a specific mention of free calls.

Why has Jio submitted a tariff plan that mentions 2 paise per second for voice calls?
Jio says all operators submit a base tariff plan with the regulator. However, companies also offer several other pre-paid and post-paid packages, which are also submitted with the regulator. Jio has filed several plans with Trai where it has made all voice calls (local and STD) free at home and national roaming.

What will end on December 3 and what on December 31?

Trai says the Jio Welcome Offer (JWO) that allows free data download can be valid only till December 3. But, benefits of free unlimited data under JWO will continue to be available to all subscribers till December 31.