Jio – Chug Chug Jio

C’mon don’t underestimate my Hindi vocabulary. The title depicts pace of implementation of the Jio project. Frank and blunt, Jio came as a ‘no-surprise’, unlike the earlier CDMA in Reliance. That one still had some surprise element for the customers and other players. Yet, the way Jio is implemented displays complete lack of professionalism and customer-centricity, if any. I have not used ‘planning’ here, since I believe that while Reliance does have a deficit of values, I do not under-estimate their planning capability.

For quite some time, say 3 years to my knowledge, Jio had been going rounds. I even know of press-releases that talked about the complete eco-system going for a change. As with every large prophecy of Reliance, I did take it with a sack (not pinch) of salt.  Jio did come out, yet not born, has made enough ripples in the society.  Not a tsunami, as was prophecised. 

Consumer is the King. He chooses whom to marry, whom to keep. Deepened on the advantages that one gets out of the deal, the king will decide.  But for now, I will say Reliance has won.  Every customer has started thinking in terms of his Data-plan-budget. From an average spending of 300 per month, Jio has increased the appetite by 700 or even more. Going further, customers are gulping data from Jio – for the free experience.  Once we get used eating big, our stomachs (and intestines) will go for bigger Consumption Patterns, which eventually will result in bigger Purchases. Thankfully, we have been spared the content-based-billing, the initial strategy of the telcom players. 

Reading Operation Flood of the nineties, came to know of the european milk-food surpluses which were strategically pushed into the country with no costs.  If not for Dr Varghese Kurien, our nation’s Milkman (Amul), we would have handled this very shabbily and made ourselves an addict and religious dependent of foreign imports for milk products. Their strategy was to increase the consumption and create a market in the developing countries for their growth. It could have resulted in greater dependencies on many developed countries and their imports on milk than the present day.  It is indeed Dr Kurien’s vision that spared this country from falling prey to international-milk-producers, and on the contrary, now we have become self-sufficient in milk production. How relevant is milk to the Jio topic. It is.. in the strategy, it is showing in the Consumption Patterns, creating a new market.  Hear me out..

Jio is increasing our appetite for data-plans at a marginally (repeat marginally) lesser differentiation than the rest in the foray.  Reliance can afford giving it free for a period of 4 months, which no one else can do.  They had indeed bought-through a deal to share the Aadhaar-validation, which the other players have not dared to, I did not see any dearth for ideas.  Come January, we will take stock of the actual situation, where the customer would still have a choice to continue with Jio or not; but more importantly, he will  be choosing between service providers at an increased budget of 1000/pm, without much thought.  By then, few players would have been decimated.  Or, is this what Jio calls the eco-system.

Above all, coming back to the implementation of Jio, I as a customer, am totally disappointed the way it is now.  Something that has been in the air for more than 3 years now, could have been better implemented. Well thought of, from all angles. Very shabby, pathetic – too is an understatement. Anyways, not much time left for Jio to recoup on the lost time. Better set it right. 

Jug jug Jio, but please see that the customer isn’t left  Laal.