Rim Challenges Industry High Tariffs

[Bhuppy 0]

Reliance Infocomm challenges industry high tariffs, announces radically lower prepaid tariff across the country

· Reiterates its commitment to affordable mobile telephony and grow the market

· India's lowest ever Prepaid tariff - even superior to industry's promotional tariffs which are restricted to "Friends and Family" or "night calling"

· Same value recharge voucher gives almost double the number of talktime minutes compared to industry

DAKC (Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City), Navi Mumbai, August 13, 2004

As an Independence Day special, Reliance Infocomm today announced freedom from the rising mobile tariffs across the industry, reducing the prepaid tariffs by about 60% on Reliance IndiaMobile, while offering virtually double the talktime available on competing prepaid services.

Under this path-breaking tariff structure, local and intra-circle calls from RIM Prepaid to any Reliance India Mobile (Prepaid and Post Paid) and Reliance India Phone (FWP/FWT) is reduced to Rs.0.99 (from Rs.2.49) and to other GSM operators and landlines to Rs.1.79 (from Rs.2.49 - Rs.2.99). For a RIM user the "Friends and Family" circle is extended to a community of Reliance customers, soon touching 1 crore mark, enjoying the lowest mobile tariffs in the country.

All inter-circle calls from RIM prepaid to any RIM or FWP/FWT anywhere in the country will now cost only Rs.1.79 (from Rs.2.99) and to other GSM operators and landline, it will cost only Rs.2.49 (from Rs.2.99 - Rs.3.99).

Announcing the new RIM prepaid tariffs, SP Shukla, President, Wireless Products and Services, Reliance Infocomm said, "All existing as well as new RIM prepaid customers can avail of the new tariff benefits when they recharge with a new prepaid voucher of Rs.325. It makes RIM Prepaid the best plan for all types of calls. This is a reiteration of our founder, Shri. Dhirubhai Ambani's commitment to offer affordable telephony to Indian people."

India being a predominantly prepaid country, the new tariff plan will be of great benefit to vast sections of mobile users and encourage new users to acquire a mobile phone. Reliance Infocomm has already lined up a vast range of mobile phones at affordable rates for the spread of mobile telephony in the country, from a data-enabled, multimedia black & white handset at Rs 2499 to a color display handset at Rs 4999.

Another big advantage for RIM Prepaid customer will be that she/he can also roam on home tariffs across India. When roaming, out going calls will be charged at home tariff, whereas incoming calls will be charged at Rs.1.79 per min, which is less than half of what the industry charges for roaming facility. Voice mail retrieval will be at reduced home tariff rates of Rs.0.99/minute, against the lowest in the industry.

Simple tariff design has done away with distance slabs to make it easily understandable by the subscribers. RIM Prepaid customers with Java enabled handsets will be able to use their phones as modems for R Connect Internet connectivity and access R World data applications even while roaming. RIM Prepaid customers will also have access to 1234 SMS-based services and a host of call management services like three-way conference call and caller line identification. It also offers a single toll free customer care access number across the country with an option of 9 different languages.

Edited August 14, 2004 by Chirag

[Arun 795]

Looks as though the test phase of the 'Advantage 99' plan has been very successfull in Tamil Nadu/Chennai, that they are happy to announce the plan all over India !

from a data-enabled, multimedia black & white handset at Rs 2499 to a color display handset at Rs 4999

Which "color display handset at Rs 4999" are they referring to ?

[Chirag 5]

I envy u guys, man! Enjoy!

Reliance slashes prepaid tariff by 60%

August 13, 2004 19:07 IST

Rediff.com

Reliance Infocomm on Friday drastically slashed mobile tariffs, reducing prepaid tariffs by about 60 per cent on Reliance IndiaMobile and offering virtually double the talktime available on competing prepaid services.

Under this tariff structure, local and intra-circle calls from RIM Prepaid to any Reliance India Mobile (prepaid and post paid) and Reliance India Phone (FWP/FWT) is reduced to Rs 0.99 (from Rs 2.49).

The local and intra-circle calls from RIM Prepaid to any other GSM operator has been reduced to Rs 1.79 (from Rs 2.49 to Rs 2.99).

All inter-circle calls from RIM prepaid to any RIM or FWP/FWT anywhere in the country will now cost only Rs 1.79 (from Rs 2.99) and to other GSM operators and landline, it will cost only Rs.2 49 (from Rs 2.99 to Rs 3.99).

A Reliance Infocomm media release claimed that these are the lowest mobile tariffs in the country.

Announcing the new RIM prepaid tariffs, S P Shukla, president, wireless products and services, Reliance Infocomm said, "All existing as well as new RIM prepaid customers can avail of the new tariff benefits when they recharge with a new prepaid voucher of Rs 325."

Reliance Infocomm has already lined up a range of mobile phones at affordable rates for the spread of mobile telephony in the country, from a data-enabled, multimedia black and white handset at Rs 2,499 to a colour display handset at Rs 4,999.

Another advantage for RIM Prepaid customer will be that she/he can also roam on home tariffs across India. When roaming, out going calls will be charged at home tariff, whereas incoming calls will be charged at Rs 1.79 per minute, which is less than half of what the industry charges for roaming facility, said the media release.

Voice mail retrieval will be at reduced home tariff rates of Rs 0.99/minute, against the lowest in the industry.

Prepaid customers will also have access to 1234 SMS-based services and call management services like three-way conference call and caller line identification. It also offers a single toll free customer care access number across the country with an option of 9 different languages.

Reliance Infocomm Ltd, a Reliance group company, is one of India's largest mobile service providers with over 8 million customers.

[Mahidhar 3]

that means the advantage 99 has been extended all over ... its not restricted to Tamilnadu and Chennai anymore ... but i'm still wondering - the cellular operators had accused RIM of providing "predatory" tariffs ... wonder what they'll do now it's all over India now

Which "color display handset at Rs 4999" are they referring to ?

i guess they're talking about the 5130 colour handset ... what else could it be ? there's no other set for 5k ... have to wait and watch

Edited August 13, 2004 by Chirag

[Beetle 0]

You have nothing to worry... When you talk about Reliance

1) There is always a catch.

2) Reliance reserves the right to reverse, withdraw or even charge the customer exorbiantly with out prior notice.

[Ganesh 0]

And they have "value added" features like lesser call rates with higher deduction in prepaid talktime

[Arun 795]

Yeah, the talktime is less in 325 voucher and its not mentioned in their press release. You will get only Rs.151 talktime with the Rs.325 recharge voucher. So not recommended for those who have more SMS/R-Connect usage than making calls.

[Vishal Gupta 4]

Is there no such scheme for FWP also?

[webmaster1963 0]

hey where do u get all this information.its not there on their website and ww too.

[Mahidhar 3]

when u get down and make calculations, u find that its not really a very cool offer. its jus that it helps a lot when u make a lot of calls to other RIM's... otherwise there's not much of a difference when u call other mobiles or landlines (its because the talktime surely would have been reduced to 151 from the current 200)

[Greens 21]

no it makes a lotz of difference. itz almost 50%savings. roaming rates are heavily reduced.

SO ITZ REALLY A GREAT OFFER, NO OTHER OPERATOR CAN MATCH.

[Arun 795]

Reliance telecom tariffs cut by 60% - Business Standard

Local calls slashed by 60% for prepaid customers, and 28.11% for calls to mobile & landline.

At a time when global system for mobile (GSM) service companies are increasing tariffs, Reliance Infocomm is doing just the opposite. It has slashed tariffs for its prepaid customers by almost 60 per cent for local calls on Reliance India Mobile (RIM), and by 28.11 per cent for calls made to other mobile and landline customers.

The company is also introducing new data-enabled and multimedia handsets from the LG stable priced at Rs 2,499 (non-colour) and Rs 4,999 (colour).

The new tariffs plan will be effective from the midnight of August 15/16, as a part of Reliance Infocomm's “Independence day special” offering.

The new tariffs will give customers almost double the number of talktime minutes compared to the what the rest of the mobile telephone service industry offers, says S P Shukla, president, wireless products and services, Reliance Infocomm.

For a pre-paid voucher of Rs 325, the blended talktime now will be 82-83 minutes versus the 53 minutes enjoyed by GSM service companies' pre-paid subscribers.

The CDMA company which has over 8 million customers has also done away with tariffs related to distance slabs by simplifying rates. It has also expanded the definition of “friends and family” to include all RIM as well as Reliance IndiaPhone users (fixed wireless phone) users.

For a RIM pre-paid customer, local calls will be charged at the rate of Rs 0.99 per minute, down from the existing Rs 2.49 per minute. To other mobiles and landlines, the customer will have to shell out Rs 1.79 per minute, 28.11 per cent lower than its exisiting tariff of Rs 2.49 per minute.

For inter-circle calls, the tariffs have been lowered by 40 per cent , from Rs 2.99 per minute to Rs 1.79 per minute. GSM operators charge Rs 4.99 a minute for inter-circle calls.

While GSM operators increased roaming rentals and tariffs from August 10, Reliance Infocomm will charge at home tariff for outgoing whereas incoming calls will be charged at RS 1.79 per minute, less than half of what the GSM subscriber pays.

The rate for voice mail retrieval will be reduced to home tariff rates of Rs 0.99 per minute.

Reliance pre-paid, was launched four months ago, today accounts for 35 per cent (2.8 million ) of the company's 8 million subscribers. Most of these are converts from Reliance's post-paid scheme.

The company is offering post-paid customers the option to convert to pre-paid till August 31, 2004. Kamal Nanavaty of Reliance Infocomm said that “Reliance will soon come out with an attractive offer for its post-paid customers”.

Meanwhile, the Reliance group has now working out strategy to iron out the glitches in Reliance Infocomm's billing. Reliance Infocomm is designing “a new bill” format by drawing on expertise from all over the globe. It is expected to launch the new simplified bill in the near future.

[Ganesh 0]

Well atlast rim has accepted that their billing software is buggy

can we get which company made that sw?

[Arun 795]

Well atlast rim has accepted that their billing software is buggy

can we get which company made that sw?

Lifetree India

[niket 0]

One more news related to this..

GSM Majors To Counter RIM Pre-paid Offensive

KRISHNA GOPALAN.

Posted online: Sunday, August 15, 2004 at 0017 hours IST. The FE

MUMBAI, AUG 14: The price war in the wireless space has resurfaced. Just when cellular users were informed by service providers that their roaming tariffs would increase, Reliance Infocomm has announced a steep cut (as much as 60 per cent for some calls) in its pre-paid tariffs starting Monday.

The move is likely to change market dynamics as it is the first major price war in the pre-paid segment. Cellular service providers have, however, said that any significant price cut is unlikely.

“What might perhaps happen is that the user may get more value-added services like additional talktime or even free SMS for a limited period,” said a senior official at a cellular company.

Officials at GSM companies are maintaining a wait and watch policy. “We need to study the issue in detail since we have just hiked our roaming tariffs.

This has certainly upset our revenue projections,” one GSM operator said.

He pointed out that any freebie will be difficult to sustain for an indefinite period. Not surprising since the pre-paid segment accounts for about 70 per cent of the overall wireless market and 80 per cent of the incremental subscriber base each month.

But what do Reliance’s new tariffs look like? For an intra-circle call made from one RelianceIndia Mobile (RIM) phone to another, the pre-paid user will now shell out 99 paise per minute compared to Rs 2.49 earlier.

This is lower than what a post-paid entry-level user would normally pay for intra-circle calls.

The Next Round

• Reliance cuts tariffs by 60 per cent for Reliance-to-Reliance intra-circle calls

• GSM operators say a price cut will be difficult and free bies may have to be given

• Pre-paid accounts for 70 per cent of the overall wireless subscriber base

• Operators’ margins will be under pressure if tariffs are dropped.

[city02 63]

Reiterating its commitment to affordable mobile telephony, Reliance Infocomm on August 13, 2004 announced the lowest ever prepaid tariff in the country, reducing the existing tariffs by about 60 per cent. Infocomm now offers prepaid subscribers

virtually double the talktime currently available on competing prepaid services for the same spend.

Under this path-breaking tariff structure, the cost of local and intra-circle calls from Prepaid to any (prepaid or postpaid) or (FWP/FWT) has been reduced to Rs 0.99 (from Rs 2.49). Calls to other GSM operators and landlines will now cost Rs 1.79 (from Rs 2.49 Rs 2.99). For a user, the 'Friends and Family' circle is now extended to the entire community of Reliance customers, soon to touch the one crore mark, enjoying the lowest mobile tariffs in the country.

All inter-circle calls from RIM Prepaid to any or FWP/FWT anywhere in the country will now cost Rs 1.79 only (from Rs 2.99) and calls to other GSM operators and landlines Rs 2.49 only (from Rs 2.99 Rs 3.99).

Another big advantage for Prepaid customer will be that she/he can also roam on home tariffs across India. When roaming, outgoing calls will be charged at home tariff, whereas incoming calls will be charged at Rs 1.79 per min, which is less than half the prevailing charges for roaming facility currently on offer in the industry. Voice mail retrieval will be at reduced home tariff rates of Rs 0.99/minute, which is again the lowest in the industry.

The simple tariff design has done away with distance slabs and made it easy to understand. Prepaid customers with Java enabled handsets will also be able to use their phones as modems for R Connect Internet connectivity and access R World data applications, even while roaming. Prepaid customers will also have access to 1234 SMS-based services and a host of call m a n a g e m e n t services like threeway conference call and caller line identification. It also offers a single toll-free customer care access number across the country with an option of nine different languages.

Announcing the new RIM Prepaid tariffs, SP Shukla, President, Wireless Products and Services, Reliance Infocomm said, “All existing as well as new Prepaid customers can avail of the new tariff benefits when they recharge with a new prepaid voucher of Rs 325. It makes Prepaid the best plan for all types of calls.”

India being a predominantly prepaid country, the new tariff plan will be of great benefit to vast sections of mobile users and encourage new users to acquire mobile phones.