Reliance Jio has generated a lot of buzz with its Welcome Offer, which promises free voice and data services for three months. Had Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani consulted arch-rival Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, he might have had second thoughts before promising such freebies.
When Bharti Airtel entered Sri Lanka in 2008, it rode on a similar strategy and offered free services for a month. But the freebies didn't help: Airtel was the fourth-largest player in Sri Lanka then; now, eight years later, it is still at the same position.
