Operators welcome Jio's entry into telecom space

Terming Reliance Jio as a valued member, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) on Thursday congratulated Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the announcement of the launch of the Jio services.

"Reliance Jio is a valued member of the COAI. We wish to congratulate them on the announcement of the launch of their services. As a valuable member of the association, we welcome them with great warmth and applaud the bold vision of Mukesh Ambani and the innovation he proposes to bring to the industry," said Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, COAI in a statement.

Taking the tariff war and competition in India's telecom space to a new level, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Thursday said domestic voice calls on the Jio network will be free forever, and unveiled a four-month introductory offer of free voice and data services.

"The era of paying for voice calls is ending," Ambani told the Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries (RIL) in Mumbai. "No Jio customer will ever have to pay for voice calls again," he added.

"As a thought leader and the voice of the telecom sector COAI will continue to advocate fair competitive practices with an enabling policy and regulatory environment which translates into a win-win for the industry and consumers. A stable, predictable, long-term and orderly growth of the industry is essential for a fully connected and digitally empowered India," Mathews added.

Bharti Airtel also welcomed Reliance Jio's entry into the telecom space and wished them luck.

"We welcome Reliance Jio's entry to the digital world and wish them the very best. We also welcome Jio's call to leading operators to work together. As a responsible operator, we will fulfil all our regulatory obligations as we have always done," Airtel said in a statement.

"Over the last 20 years, Airtel has been contributing towards building a digitally enabled India and remains fully committed to and take leadership in supporting the government's Digital India vision. We will continue to innovate and deliver best-in-class products and services to our customers," the statement added.

Reacting to the launch Vodafone said: "We have always offered great value to our customers, backed by excellent customer service, a nationwide presence, and Vodafone SuperNetTM -- our best network ever. We will continue to do so for our hundreds of million customers across the country."

--IANS

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