Two years of Jio: How free calls, data catalysed India's digital revolution

When Mukesh Ambani launched Reliance Jio in 2016, the telecom industry was a multiplayer market, consumers were careful about their data usage and very few cared to consume video content on their mobile data network.

Cut to 2018, two years after Jio first introduced free voice calling and months of dirt-cheap data services, content is in demand like never before.

Content provider and OTT services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Eros Now, Voot, Hotstar, Gaana and Saavn among many others have taken off in a big way.

Global internet giants Facebook, Google and Amazon are prioritizing Indian language services to attract internet consumers in far-flung rural areas who prefer content in local language than English.

“Jio has built a Digital Connectivity Platform of unparalleled capacity and a nation-wide reach. This has enabled Reliance to strategically reinvent itself as a Technology Platform Company,” the company said in a statement on completion of two years.