The flood gates have opened. After testing 4G services with the limited set of users, Reliance Jio has now made the services available for all users. As you are aware, under the Jio Preview offer, users can enjoy unlimited 4G services until Dec. 31, 2016. Ever since its launch, Reliance Jio 4G has been plagued by several issues. From users who complained of long processing time for SIM applications to Ambani complaining of inter-connectivity issues and over 5 crore call failures, the Jio 4G experience hasn’t been all that smooth. And now, users have taken to twitter to complain about a new issue they are facing: drastic drop in speeds.
Initially, the 4G Preview offer was made available to LYF brand of smartphones. The offer was then extended to Samsung and other brands of phones. With many brands eligible for Reliance Jio 4G Preview Offer today, the user base has widened significantly. This increase in demand is being felt by those using the unlimited high-speed mobile data since its inception. Users who have been experiencing high-speed data since the preview offer rolled out are now complaining of a drastic drop in internet speeds, reports IBTimes. The drop in speed can be directly attributed to increased demand and the subsequent use of 4G bandwidth by many users.
One user who had been using Jio connection on LYF smartphone a month before Ambani launched Jio at the annual general meeting said he experienced nearly 40% drop in speed after being upgraded to the Jio welcome offer. Several users have taken to twitter to post about the drop in speeds, comparing the speeds before and after the launch.
A majority of the users are seeing a sudden drop in speeds since last two weeks. On Aug 24, for one of the users, the speed showed 13Mbps. The same connection speed has now dropped to less than 1Mbps. While this may be the extreme case, the trend points towards a significant drop in internet speeds. Few users also complained of call drops. Call drops, however, can be attributed to the telcos’ refusal to provide the necessary infrastructure support for seamless 4G call connectivity. But the internet speed drop is quite alarming given that the full-fledged rollout hasn’t happened yet. Once Reliance reaches its ambitious goal of 100 millions of subscribers, the speeds may drop further. It remains to be seen how Reliance will address the problems of speed drops and call failures. Whatever the action is, it needs to be swift because losing customers due to speed drops and call failures can put Jio’s ambitious plans in total jeopardy.
Have you also been experiencing Jio 4G speed drops? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.