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Jio DTH, Jio GigaFiber Launch: Consumers Eagerly Await Services after New TRAI Rules

Jio DTH and Jio GigaFiber commercial launch is expected to happen in March 2019, as per reports, and the service is expected to disrupt the market

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DQINDIA Online
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Jio DTH, Jio GigaFiber launch is yet to happen on a commercial scale; nevertheless, that has not deterred customers from stating the service as their ‘preference’. Especially after the new TRAI Rules for DTH services, visibly upset consumers have taken to social media platforms claiming that their DTH services have become all the more expensive than it was before.

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“Dear TRAI thanks for messing it up completely!!! Your ads abt the new rules and policies seemed it would benefit me.. but NO! It's such a mess. And ala-carte channels costing way more than earlier packages,” says Pooja, on Twitter.

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“Fooling. I paid 450 Rs to Den cable for the same channels I used to watch with only Rs 300 every month. I know this decision is anti people but want to understand which Pvt group is the main beneficiary. There must be something hidden,” says a famous media personality Ashutosh Mishra on Twitter.

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Ashu Twitter

TRAI had claimed that the new rule would make DTH services ‘cheaper’ for consumers. “Consumer has complete freedom to choose their desired 100 Standard Definition (SD) channels within the network capacity fee of maximum Rs 130. The desired channels could be in a-la-carte, Free to Air channels, or Pay channels or bouquet of pay channels or any combination thereof. The choice completely rests with the consumers,” said TRAI in a press release. However, this has led consumers paying more than the base price of Rs 130, as they have to add the paid channels to their subscription separately.

The same findings were stated by a CRISIL report, which was published in the Indian Express. “New TRAI guidelines could increase the monthly bill of most subscribers of television channels. The analysis by CRISIL is assuming that subscribers opt for the top 10 channels by viewership in addition to the free-to-air (FTA) ones, which will increase their bills,” says the report.

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Also, what is notable is the guidelines most likely do not hold true for Internet Protocol television (IPTV), which means the delivery of television content over internet protocol networks like Jio TV, Airtel Digital TV, Voot, Sony Liv and HotStar. This one particular technicality is making several consumers demand for Jio DTH and Jio GigaFiber services, as they feel it would lead to cost savings.

DTH Twitter

What Jio DTH and Jio GigaFiber Promises

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Jio DTH and Jio GigaFiber are being highly awaited for they promise HD quality entertainment at highly affordable prices. The base pack, as per some reports, is expected to start at as low as Rs 300 to 500. Jio Giga TV set-top box or the Jio DTH will come along with the optic fiber, which can also be connected to Reliance Jio enabled smartphones thus connecting a regular home into a smart home or an IoT home. Reliance says that Ultra HD entertainment, multi-party video conferencing, virtual reality gaming, shopping and other smart home solutions will also be offered to consumers.

DTh Twitter

Although Jio GigaFiber has gained a huge advantage with acquisitions in Den Networks and Hathway Cable and Datacom, the wait for Jio DTH and Connected Home continues. Jio GigaFiber service promises 1Gbps speed, and will also allow Jio DTH users to make video calls on their television sets along with the smart remote that will support several Indian languages.

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DTH Twitter

The Jio GigaFiber empowered set-top box will also have voice command support. So, video streaming platforms such as Jio TV, Airtel Digital TV, Voot, Sony Liv, Netflix, HotStar and others can be played on the Jio Giga TV. Therefore, the Jio DTH service is expected to disrupt the cable operators’ segment.

DTH Twitter

Nonetheless, how the market will react to Jio DTH and Jio GigaFiber entry can only be witnessed with the commercial launch of the services. What are your views as consumers on the same? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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