Reliance Jio’s entry into India’s already crowded telecom market is expected to be game-changing, but that would be an understatement. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced Reliance Jio’s tariffs and rollout plans at the company’s annual general meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. He launched Reliance Jio’s much-awaited 4G services along with a host of offers and services.
The biggest highlight that grabbed everyone’s attention during the launch was Reliance Jio’s “free voice calling” even while roaming. Yes, you read that right. Mukesh Ambani revealed that there will be no charges for making calls anywhere in India and users will only have to pay for mobile data.
(See also: Reliance Jio postpaid plans details: What you need to know)
Breaking his silence on Reliance Jio’s tariff plans, Ambani said the company’s simple and clean tariff plans start with a pocket-friendly one-day internet plan priced at Rs 100. 19, it gives you unlimited calls (voice and VoLTE, even roaming) and 100MB of available data, as well as text messages (maximum 100 per day, as per Trai’s rules). You can know about Reliance Jio’s tariff plans in our detailed Reliance Jio tariff plans guide.
(See also: How to switch to Reliance Jio and keep your current number)
Till Thursday, thousands of people in the country were queuing up to claim Jio’s free SIM cards along with the company’s “Jio Preview Offer”. As we mentioned, currently Jio SIM is only available to users of a few OEMs. The Reliance Jio launch on Monday will be available to anyone and the SIM card will be available on all VoLTE-enabled phones. Under the ‘Jio Welcome Offer’, all new and existing users are entitled to enjoy free calls, SMS and data till December 31.
(See also: List of Reliance Jio plans, including those not shown on stage by Mukesh Ambani)
So, if you’re interested in Reliance Jio’s offers and want to give the services a try, here’s a guide on how to get and activate a Reliance Jio SIM card and how to set up services like Voice over LTE (VoLTE):
Get Reliance Jio SIM card
Ahead of the official launch, the Reliance Jio SIM card is already available at all Reliance-owned Digital Store, Digital Xpress and Digital Xpress Mini stores across the country. Now that the announcement has been made, the Reliance Jio SIM should also be available at telecom stores near you. He also introduced eKYC customer verification to activate SIM cards almost instantly when you buy them. You can visit the company’s website to find out where you can get a SIM card near you.
(See also: Reliance Jio 4G plans, SIM activation, network launch and everything else you need to know)
Get the required files for Reliance Jio SIM card
Through the eKYC process, you need to present your Aadhaar card for instant activation. Just take your Aadhaar card to one of the above-mentioned Reliance-owned stores near you. The Aadhaar card serves as both your address proof and identity proof, but if you don’t have one, you will have to submit other documents as proof of these, a list of which can be found on the Reliance Jio website.
(See also: Reliance Jio SIM available to everyone from September 5, free till December 31)
Additionally, you will need two passport-size photos. Once you complete the verification process, you will get your Reliance Jio SIM card instantly. Remember to bring your original documents for verification as well as copies of the ones you will submit, and make sure the photos are recent.
Activate your Reliance Jio SIM card
Once you receive the SIM card, you will be prompted to follow the steps sent by the company to your registered email address. Since the activation and billing process takes place entirely online, you can also get receipts via email and text message. Reliance Jio will also verify your phone number over the phone to complete the entire activation and verification process.
VoLTE activation
To activate VoLTE (how you make voice calls on the Reliance Jio network), you need to make a call from 1977. The phone verification process will be performed during the same call. Don’t forget to prepare the Jio SIM purchase bill and other documents in advance.
(See also: Reliance JioFi – How to start using Jio’s 4G LTE hotspot)
We’ve already highlighted how people are impatiently waiting to get their hands on a Reliance Jio SIM card, and we’d like to warn you that you may experience long queues on Monday.