New Delhi: Telecom giant Reliance Jio will stop charging its customers for off-net or Jio to non-Jio calls from January 1, 2021, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has abolished the interconnect usage charges (IUC) charges.
Jio noted that TRAI’s Bill and Keep regime is being implemented in the country from January 1, 2021, thereby ending IUC charges for all domestic voice calls.
“Honouring its commitment to revert off-net domestic voice-call charges to zero, as soon as IUC charges are abolished, Jio will once again make all off-net domestic voice calls free, starting 1st January 2021. On-net domestic voice calls have always been free on the Jio network,” the telco noted in an official release.
“Jio is committed to lay the foundation of a digital society a society where everything, everyone everywhere is connected with the best quality service, at the lowest price globally, and has access to the most advanced digital platforms. Through technological innovation, Jio will continue to deliver revolutionary products and services to its users, with a customer-first approach,” Jio noted.
Jio said that it was left with no option but to start charging its customers for off-net or Jio to non-Jio voice calls on September 19 when TRAI extended the timeline for implementation of the Bill and Keep regime beyond January 1, 2020.
Jio further noted that it charged customers at a rate exactly equivalent to the applicable IUC charge. The company further noted that while implementing the IUC charges, it had assured customers that it would only charge customers for off-net calls till the time TRAI abolished IUC charges.
With this move, super popular Reliance Jio recharge plans all include free voice calls to all networks. Some of the plans include the Rs 129 plan with 2GB data allowance for 28 days, Rs 149 plan with 1GB per day data for 24 days, Rs 199 plan with 1.5GB per day data for 28 days, Rs 555 plan with 1.5GB per day data for 84 days, and more.
