Some Hard Facts about Reliance Mobile:
1) Based on CDMA technology - A digital 3G network..for any of you with any idea about telecommunications, keep the word 3G(3rd generation) in mind. Remember there is NO comparison between Reliance and other cellphone operators using GSM technology, because GSM IS A 1G(1st Generation) NETWORK!! (Do you want old outdated technology or newer technology? you decide!)
2) No technical flaws or limitations as such which are widely inherent on current GSM networks - like clogging of networks, etc.
3) Has 144Kbps bandwidth for voice (Considering your ordinary dial-up access has just 56Kbps for data, 144Kbps for voice ensures the highest quality. GSM on the other hand has a mere 9.6Kbps for voice! 144Kbps vs 9.6Kbps, Reliance is a clear winner)
4) The entire infrastructure is ridiculously cheap owing to use of CDMA. GSM on the other hand is pretty expensive, and upgrading GSM to GPRS (a 2.5G network possibly comparable to CDMA) will cost companies a lot! (which will be passed onto the subscribers obviously)
5) Finally you can use all those fancy features on cellphones, like MMS (Multimedia Messaging), Streaming Video, WAP, etc. which require a 3G network. (Again the key word here, 3G!!) These features just cant be utilised on your current GSM network, unless cellphone operators upgrade their networks to GPRS. (I honestly ask those people investing lots of money on high-end phones with color screens, MMS, inbuilt cameras, etc. whether there's any point, since they cant utilise any of the features on their phones owing to lack of 3G networks). The cellphones are Java-ready for utilising many programs developed in Java. Thousands of Developers are designing programs in Java for you, which are uploaded to the Reliance Server from which you merely download it and run it on your Cellphone! This is revolutionary in the sense, your cellphone becomes a computer.. you download software and applications, install it on your phone, and you're all set to go!
6) Some people are misguided about the pricing:
For the 3000 deposit, you get a Mobile phone worth 10,500 FREE. This is a standard black and white screen model, with many useful features like polyphonic ringtones, storage for
30 SMS's (0r 29SMS's and 1 voice message), WAP, Access to Java content and tons of other features that you have to experience.
For 3000 deposit, and another Rs.15,000 you get a Samsung Color Screen model called Samsung Rainbow (an update to the Samsung True-i), which is a World-Renowned High-end phone that is currently one of the best phones in the market! Which means, effectively you pay Rs. 15,000 for the Samsung phone which has a retail price of 25,000-30,000. Isnt it highly subsidised? Considering you get warranty, and all original accessories.. the same as when you buy from an Authorised Retail Shop.
You can pay the entire amount upfront,
OR
You pay Rs. 3000 + 12 x 1800 post-dated cheques. Each cheque is cashed only after each Quarterly (3 months).
If you leave the service earlier, all the remaining post-dated cheques are refunded to you, and Rs.40 is deducted from each of them.
The Rs. 3000 deposit is given back to you, if you leave the Reliance Mobile service before 90 days of usage are completed.
Example, if you leave after 2 months, you get back Rs.3000 deposit and 11 Post-dated cheques x 1760 (Rs.1800 deduct Rs.40)
Which means, you pay Rs.600 per month:
Rs.400 for 400 minutes of outgoing calls (Incoming calls free)
Rs.100 for Club Privilege Charges, that include Free SMS(Note, SMS can be sent to all GSM phones and all other networks, I have tried it and it does work), Free WAP Access, Free Streaming Video(finally, you can watch the Cricket World Cup on the go!), Streaming Audio, Access to Plenty of Content like News, Jokes, Games, etc. and just about anything you can imagine. Your Mobile is all set to become a Portable Computer.
Rs.100 for Finance Charges (Finance charges are additional charges for those that do not pay the entire amount upfront)
The Major Bonus here is STD charges are at 40 paise / min!(Only for Reliance to Reliance phones)
A Reliance to another phone(BSNL/MTNL/Other Networks) will be 40 paise/min plus some small interconnect charge from the other network.
Example, if you place a call from a Mumbai Reliance Phone to a Chennai MTNL Phone, the charge will be 40 paise/min travelling from Reliance Mumbai Circle, to Reliance Chennai Circle. From the Reliance Chennai circle, the call will be a local call from the Reliance Network to the BSNL Network, which means.. come what may, extremely low STD prices!
Another point to be noted is Reliance's extremely high speed and efficiency in setting up Services, Laying 60,000Km of fibre optic is no joke. The entire infrastructure - Switches, Networks, Towers, Software, Billing et all is up in place and all set to go.. all in record-breaking time. This is in comparison to a shameful effort put up by Tata Indicom, who have not even completed their infrastructure before starting out their services, leaving many with bad impressions of the CDMA network.
To be highly applaused is Reliance's decision to keep official launch to March 2003, even though networks are up.. merely to give the entire system a thorough testing to identify any bugs and other problems in the working of the system so that they can be corrected, thereby giving a complete service to the Customer! As for those who believe that Reliance may increase rates, remember Reliance is very efficient in their services which always gets them profit, They are very confident in getting their profit this year itself. Shame on MTNL for increasing prices, when they know very well their wasteful practices are to blame. The falling prices by GSM operators shows very well, that they could afford lower prices but have been taking the customers for a ride. All in all, if you are a GSM subscriber you are still bound to profit from the entry of Reliance.(But I doubt you may stick onto your GSM operator for long, when you have next-generation technology to choose from!)
For those who wish to wait and watch, Please do so.. you may find all your doubts cleared within time, and trust me, you will be kicking yourself for missing out on golden opportunites!!
All this leads to extremely great value that is bound to usher in a Telecom Revolution. In keeping with Dhirubhai Ambani's Dream of Making a Telephone Call cheaper than a post-card!
P.S. Yes, I personally use the Reliance Mobile Service (One of the Lucky Few to get my hands on one). And I enjoy every second of using it!! Remember People, Dont judge what you havent tried as yet! Give it a go, its bound to take you for a ride. Like I said, one of the Cons of this service is People are really unaware of the technological leap, and many are highly influenced by uninformed rumours floating around. This poor image can be dispelled once you Yourself personally try it out!
