If you want free Jio 4G SIM, get in queue. Or pay
Jio, the 4G service that Reliance Industries is preparing for an official launch, is one of the most exciting things to happen in the world of Indian telecom market in a long long time. Starved of data and reliable 3G or 4G services, people have great hopes from Jio. The fact that it is currently available for free for almost all 4G-enabled phones is making it a great crowd-puller.
The rush is truly maddening. People queuing outside Reliance Digital stores and Reliance Digital Express Mini are real. And in places where there are no queues, that is because of some mechanism contrived by the store managers to keep the crowd out, a mechanism that may seem just or unfair, depending what it entails and how badly you want a SIM.
A week-long wait for SIM card
In most Digital Express Mini stores in Delhi - the shops run by phone dealers in partnership with Reliance - the wait for the Jio SIM is now running into 7-10 days, even if there are no queues outside the store. "If you want a Jio SIM, you have to leave your name, number and phone's manufacturer. Please list them in this register," a Xpress Mini store manager in South Delhi IndiaToday.In on Saturday. "Once the people who are waiting ahead of you get it, we will give you a call and you will have to come to the store with KYC documents (address proof, photos etc) to get you SIM."
Once a consumer gets the SIM, there is more delay. "We scan the documents and send to the Jio office immediately. Ideally, it is supposed to take an hour or two before the details are confirmed from the user using tele-verification. But as I said Jio doesn't have a mechanism to deal with the rush they are facing right now. The verification servers are often down. We are seeing verifications happening in at least four five day," he said.
The great rush and consequent server issues were confirmed to IndiaToday.In by an official from Jio's sales team. This person, who looks after the relationships between Jio and its franchisee stores in Delhi NCR area, acknowledged that currently there was too much rush. But he said that the company was hoping to fix the issues soon.
The great rush and consequent server issues were confirmed to IndiaToday.In by an official from Jio's sales team. This person, who looks after the relationships between Jio and its franchisee stores in Delhi NCR area, acknowledged that currently there was too much rush. But he said that the company was hoping to fix the issues soon.
Forget free, pay some money
When the demand outstrips supply, for many there is often a way to make some extra money. With Jio's popularity the phone dealers too have sensed there chance. Although, it is not condoned by Jio, the same Xpress Mini store that won't give consumers the Jio SIM without making them wait for a week, is willing to give it all in case a consumers buys a phone from him. "Of course, you can get a Jio SIM today. Buy a phone from me. This way I take care of my consumers and not the whole Delhi that is rushing into my shop to claim a free SIM card," he said.
Similarly, all major phone shops have the stock of Jio SIM cards but they are not only allowed to bundle them with handset they sell. For example if you buy a LG or Samsung phone, or a Lyf phone, you can get the Jio SIM from almost any shop.
Similarly, all major phone shops have the stock of Jio SIM cards but they are not only allowed to bundle them with handset they sell. For example if you buy a LG or Samsung phone, or a Lyf phone, you can get the Jio SIM from almost any shop.
The sentiment among the phone dealers is that "free SIM" is a great thing for consumers. But it doesn't give dealers anything. They can only make money by making the Jio SIM a bargaining chip that can help them sell a phone or two.
Although, even if you get the Jio SIM card by buying a new phone - or JioFi, a Wi-Fi router that works with the SIM - you will have to follow the same activation and registration process that other consumers are following. This means whether you get a SIM "free" or after paying for a new phone, it may take at least 4 to 5 days before your SIM card is activated and you can use it.
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