Reliance Jio was launched in December 2015 with great enthusiasm and celebrations as it was touted to disrupt the 4G industry in India. At the time of launch, Jio 4G sim cards were only offered to employees of Reliance to test out the service before a commercial launch in April 2016.
The official dates of launch got delayed and instead of April 2016, Reliance shifted the release date to August 2016. Meanwhile, the details of prepaid plans got leaked on the internet and created a buzz that further propelled Jio to another level. This created panic in the industry as Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone slashed their data rates.
Jio 4G became invite-only in May 2016, however shortly thereafter, the invite system was abolished and the sim cards were available to select users through registrations. Then came successive announcements on Reliance’s part to offer Jio sim cards with any smartphone above Rs. 10,000.
Until now there had not been an official launch, however Reliance Jio sim cards were being offered through JioFi router and Samsung & LG phones through a ‘Jio Preview Offer’, or a Jio phone from one of Reliance Digital stores and partners. Suddenly, out of the blue, the company has started issuing sim cards to all users with 4G phones.
The company has not yet released an official statement, but some reports have confirmed that anyone with a 4G enabled smartphone can request a free Jio 4G sim card from Reliance Digital Stores. Mind you, a commercial launch still hasn’t taken place and this might mean that it is due very soon. We spoke to a few people, and they too have confirmed that SIM cards are now available to everyone!
In fact, in many places, there were long queues to get their hands on Jio SIM card.
India today seems truly JioFied @JioFanClub @varunkrish pic.twitter.com/Dd0NJgC2R2
— Yatin Chawla (@YatinChawla) August 21, 2016
How can you get a Jio Sim card
The company claims that the preview offer is only available to Samsung, LG and Jio phones for now, but there is no harm is trying on other 4G smartphones.
To experience Jio 4G in your city through the Jio Preview offer, complete the following steps –
- Download the MyJio app to enter details for registration
- Input your full name along with your active mobile number
- Check for the closest store that can offer you a Jio sim card through the app
- Once confirmed and registered, you will receive a confirmation coupon code which needs to be saved for future use
- Get the required documents for complete registration
- After confirmation at the closest store, collect the sim card and activate it by following the instructions on the packet
The official twitter handle of Reliance did not confirm whether the preview offer will be available to all smartphones other than Samsung, LG and Jio but we should be hearing about it soon. Stay tuned for more information on the Jio 4G commercial launch!
