Reliance Jio Launches Voice-Only Plans in India; Tipster Claims Data Plans Will Get More Expensive

Reliance Jio has introduced new voice-only plans for prepaid subscribers in India. These will offer only voice and SMS services and will not include any data allowance. This move follows a mandate by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for all telecom operators in the country to offer standalone special tariff vouchers (STVs) for voice calls and SMS. Additionally, a tipster claims that the telecom service provider will soon revise some of its older value packs with bundled data plans and introduce new options.

Reliance Jio's Voice-Only Plans Include Free SMS

Subscribers can now access two new value packs in India. The Rs. 458 plan comes with a validity of 84 days, and offers unlimited voice call services and 1,000 free SMS. On the other hand, the Rs. 1,958 plan offers 3,600 free SMS alongside unlimited voice calls and has a validity of 365 days.

Although the plans do not offer a data allowance, they include subscriptions for JioTV, JioCinema and JioCloud. These subscriptions come at no additional cost and are valid for the period of the plan's validity.

Reliance Jio's new voice-only plans
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Jio

Jio's rival Bharti Airtel also introduced new value plans for only voice calls and SMS services in the country following the TRAI's mandate.

Jio Tipped to Revise Older Data Plans Soon

According to an X post by tipster Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) an older Rs. 479 plan which included 6GB of free data will likely be introduced with an increased price of Rs. 539. Another older plan worth Rs. 1,899 which allowed users access to 24GB of free data, could be revised with a price of Rs. 2,249. These prices are no longer listed on the company's website.

Yadav also claims that the company might re-introduce the Rs. 479 and Rs. 1,999 plans with only calls and SMS services. However, with the introduction of the Rs. 458 and Rs. 1,958 plans, the launch of these new variants seems unlikely. Readers are advised to take these claims with a grain of salt, as the telecom operator has yet to make any changes to these plans on its website or via the MyJio app.