Nearly 82 per cent of Reliance Jio Infocomm’s subscribers use the operator as a secondary provider, with just 18 per cent using it as their primary connection.
However, about 86 per cent of these users intend to continue with RJio in the future, despite call drop issues, as the free factor ensures an overall good experience.
RJio has managed to build a strong subscriber base with four in every 10 respondents using the service, according to a study by market research agency Velocity MR.
“No doubt Jio shook up the industry and managed to grab eyeballs and market share within a short span of time. However, the question remains if it can sustain and compete with the larger players in the marketplace,” said Jasal Shah, Managing Director & CEO of Velocity MR.
Most of RJio’s consumers are pre-paid users. Compared with RJio, the post-paid customer base of other operators is higher, with Vodafone and Airtel having the largest post-paid customer base. The study was conducted among 2,000 respondents across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
On connectivity-related parameters, Vodafone is rated the best on network consistency and sound quality, while RJio scores lower than major players in the market.
Among the major operators, RJio receives the lowest rating on call drops, ahead of only Aircel and DoCoMo.
In a separate study, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said about 90 per cent of RJio users are estimated to have subscribed to its Prime membership plan. About 84 per cent have paid a monthly top-up, with the majority choosing the ₹303 or ₹309 pack.
Overall, these users are satisfied with Jio, with 70 per cent believing its speeds are faster, 51 per cent believing its customer service is prompt and 42 per cent of the opinion that Jio’s speeds are “consistently fast”.
Interestingly, only 5 per cent of the users surveyed used LYF phones, with 40 per cent and 7 per cent using Samsung and iPhone handsets, respectively. BoFA Merrill Lynch surveyed about 1,000 subscribers using Jio as a primary SIM in mid-June.