Reliance Jio users spend far less time connected to WiFi, compared to users from the rest of the telecom networks, according to a study conducted by Mobile Network Operator (MNO) measurement website OpenSignal.
Between Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 (the three months in which Jio has been available to the widespread public), Jio users connected to Wifi networks on average 8.2% of the time. That’s well below India’s 29.8% average time. The report also said that rivals Vodafone, BSNL and Tata DoCoMo users spent more than 30% of their time on WiFi.
Time on Wifi by operator
- Jio= 8.2%
- Idea= 24.1%
- Telenor= 24.3%
- Aircel= 24.9%
- Airtel= 27.1%
- Reliance= 28.1%
- Tata DoCoMo= 30.4%
- BSNL= 31.1%
- Vodafone= 31.3%
The research found that, one of the biggest drivers why Jio’s number is low, is the cost factor.
“One of the biggest drivers of Wi-Fi usage on the smartphones is the cost of the mobile data. If you have an expensive data plan, you tend to look for cheaper connections to offset your mobile bill and in most cases Wi-Fi is just the ticket. But what if you get 4 GBs of 4G data daily for no additional charge as Jio users now receive? There’s not much incentive to seek out a Wi-Fi link,” OpenSignal’s Kevin Fitchard said
“When confronted with slow 2G or 3G data connections, smartphone users will hunt for Wi-Fi to improve their data experience. But in Jio’s case it has no 2G or 3G networks…Since Jio’s users are by default contending with 4G networks only, they have little incentive to seek out Wi-Fi, especially if those Wi-Fi connections might turn out slower than LTE.”
In less than three months after launching its industry disrupting 4G services, Jio has emerged as the largest broadband operator in the country. It currently has over 52 million users, with 50 million being added in 83 days.
