Should you cancel your Broadband Connection & Switch to Reliance Jio 4G?

Now that the Reliance Jio 4G services are launched officially, people are going crazy over it. No doubt that, this is the case, as the company announced some of the best internet 4G plans available in the world. Reliance has given you enough reasons to switch from your current network, and we couldn’t have asked for more. Anyway if you are planning to switch from any other network like Airtel, do check out the comparison between the Airtel 4G & the Reliance Jio 4G network before making your decision.

You can also check out the speed test comparison that we did between the Airtel 4G & Reliance Jio 4G below –

Now with that out of the way, let’s discuss replacing your current broadband connection with the Reliance Jio 4G. First of all, for those people who are wondering if that is even possible, let me tell you that it is very much possible. It is a known fact that Reliance only offers 4G SIM cards and you will definitely need a 4G VoLTE compatible smartphone for this network to work. But if in case you only own a 2G or 3G smartphone, you are not out of luck completely here.

You can still upgrade to one of LYF smartphone that the company is offering for as low as 2,999 INR. Or even better, you can purchase the JioFi device, which is the pocket-sized Wi-Fi modem for your smartphone. You can insert your Reliance Jio 4G SIM card into that and use it to create a Hotspot and use it on any device using an app called the JioJoin. It also allows you to connect one device via LAN and ten devices wirelessly. The same can be used to make voice calls, etc. as well. All that sounds good, right? But is it a good idea to replace your current broadband connection with Reliance Jio 4G?

How to Port your Mobile Number to Reliance Jio 4G – Steps for MNP Process

Most of the broadband connection speeds offered in India are around 10 Mbps. India’s average Internet Speed is 3.5 Mbps, compared to 2.8 Mbps last year. However, many Indian service providers have started offering plans beyond 25 Mbps. Many operators, such as You Broadband and ACT broadband offer plans of up to 100 Mbps. Check out Akamai’s report here via The Huffington Post, on the state of the internet in the world.

So when you are in a country where the broadband speeds are averaging out to 3.5 Mbps, an unlimited 4G connection like Jio 4G is a gift indeed. So let’s consider some of the practical use case scenarios to see if it will be a wise decision to so. Note that; we will be solely comparing on the basis of speeds and usage here and not the cost since it may be different for everyone depending on the region you live in.

Usage below 10GB/Month

Let’s say you use anywhere between 3GB to 5GB per month and you are subscribed to a broadband plan which gives you up to 30GB-40GB data just to get good speeds and keep it in reserve; then you are simply wasting all the data. And upon doing a little bit of research, there are a ton of people who do this. So if you are one of that user, who just wants to casually browse through the internet to just check your Facebook feeds, use WhatsApp or read some news, etc. then you can simply get a Jio 4G connection and get a 499 INR plan. It will suit you just fine. You will also get unlimited 4G data at night so that you can download some media as well.

Usage below 50GB/Month

Now let’s say you fall into this category, and you happen to use somewhere between 10GB-50GB/month, then still you can go for Jio 4G services. The reason being, along with the data you get for the month, you also happen to get unlimited free calls as well as messages. So you don’t have to pay anything extra on a monthly basis. And also, let’s say you are going to travel somewhere, you don’t have to recharge your mobile network separately as well. You can select ‘L’ or ‘XL’ plans that Reliance Jio 4G offers and enjoy all the service at one place. Also, you don’t have to worry about unlimited downloads as well, since it offers you unlimited night data, when you can schedule your downloads, etc.

Usage over 50GB/Month

Now you guys are power users. We are talking about upwards of 50GB/Month here. While Reliance Jio 4G offers a plan with 75GB of data with the ‘XXXL’ plan, it is safe to stick with the current broadband connection here. Reason being the price. Regardless of which broadband you might be using, you will be getting a plan which will offer such data for a way cheaper price than Reliance Jio 4G. One such plan offered by Bharti Airtel is this one.

As you can see from the image above, you can get 40 Mbps data speeds up to 80GB after which it will go down to 1Mbps. This might an ideal plan in this case and it will cost you only 2,399 INR per month. Definitely, there are a handful of plans to choose from, so go for such connections as it is much reasonable in this case.

Above all, do make a note that Reliance Jio 4G services are not yet reliable for making voice calls. And data connectivity is also not consistent all places and all times. It will get better over time, but until then you can hope for the best results and go for it, if have to.

So let us know which category you fall into and are you going to stick to your current broadband connection or you are going to switch to Reliance 4G.

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