My Log - Harish Vajha (feedback here) [Spirituality/Technology/Finance ]
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Monday, January 20, 2003 |
RELIANCE Mobile, newly launched service has got lots & lots such "FREE" tags
attached. But what is really FREE? Everything that is seen is the truth? What is the real fact?
Recently RELIANCE has launched its Mobile service in INDIA. As per it's promotional plan. One will have to pay Rs. 3000/- for club membership, for
which a consumer will get a free handset (digital) Worth 10,500/- free services like. Internet, call divert, call wait, call baring, SMS, NEWS
Channel on handset, etc. (for FREE!!!) Plus Rs. 600 per month in which a consumer will be getting 400 minutes of outgoing calls & unlimited incoming
calls. This will be under a 3 year contract i.e. 3000+ (600*36) = 24600.
Well who won't like to get a handset worth 10,500 in just 3000? Who will miss a service plan which gives you 400 minutes of out
going (both local & country wide calling) plus free services like SMS ,
call divert NEWS channels ,internet , etc. FREE FREE FREE
Many are wondering that why still other players not reducing their price, to survive in front of Reliance?
Reliance will be giving you a free handset (Digital handset) I don't know if company knows or not but nowadays all mobile handsets are digital...at least
as per my knowledge. worth 10,500 similar to that available in GSM network model Samsung R-220 to the club members who will be paying 3000 (non
refundable). (Read the contract) you have been given this handset for free
but still its property of Reliance. If you want to terminate the service at
anytime , in spite of the handset was given to you for free still you will
have to return the handset to company & still your 3000 is non refundable. So dose this means that 3000 is rent of handset?
Secondly in this scheme company will be giving handset similar to Samsung R-220 of GSM network. so it means it is not a colour display. So now if
you wants to enjoy seeing NEWS channels on your handset then you need to spend more 25,000 for a handset with colour display.
Reliance will be giving 400 minutes of out going calls & unlimited incoming calls. Yeah but this 400 minutes of out going calls will be allowed only to
reliance to reliance network .
For calls to all other networks you need to pay extra they are not included in those 400 minutes. More over this if
you want to use more then 400 minutes then for other minutes used, you will have to pay as per normal BSNL/MTNL
charges. i.e. for local calls its same rate 40 paise per minute but after your 1st 400 minutes even for a reliance to reliance long distance call you
need to pay as per the rates of BSNL/MTNL & not reliance rate i.e. 40 paise per minute. So this means 400 minutes given to you per month is only
for calling from a reliance mobile to reliance mobile anywhere in INDIA. For all other calls you need to pay extra as per rates of fixed lines of
BSNL/MTNL. And for calls from reliance to reliance after 400 free minutes will also be charged at rates of BSNL/MTNL. i.e. for a call from Mumbai to
Delhi where earlier you were charged 40 paise per minute ,after your 1st 400 minutes you will be charged about approx. 9 rupees per minute. This will be
even for a call from Reliance to Reliance.
Services like internet, call divert, NEWS channels, etc are free for 1st 3
years. But if you use internet for 5 minutes then, 5 minutes from your 400 free minutes will be deducted. Same goes for NEWS channels. Call waiting,
call diverting.. Suppose you are using GSMmobile. & if you uses call divert service. Then for all the diverted calls you will have to pay air time of
incoming calls. Same is here in Reliance for all diverted calls airtime will be charged. All these seem like pretty confusing isn't it? One side it is
said it is all free & on other side ................
So the bottom line seems to be is, nothing is free, no service is free. Only
thing that is free here is the subscription for certain services. Unlike
other service providers Reliance is not going charge subscription charges for certain services at least for 1st 3 years. So no doubt Reliance can
afford to give all those services which GSM mobile service provides are not providing .There are few who are providing services like internet connection
through mobile at a fixed charges per month & then there is no air time or call charge for using internet.
In spite of all this extra services which most of GSM service provider are not providing at present what you will be not getting in Reliance is
mobility. No roaming!! Range of a phone will limited to one particular city only.