Reliance Jio's free service sparks mobile wars in India
It is offering free service for rest of 2016 for its 4G network; rivals slash prices by up to 80%
Mumbai
OUTSIDE a tiny Reliance store in a trendy Mumbai neighbourhood, residents queued for hours this week for a new SIM card promising free data - and a dramatic reshaping of the Indian mobile landscape.
Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, announced his long-awaited Reliance Jio 4G network with an audacious free service for the rest of 2016, followed by vastly cheaper data plans and free voice calls for life.
Anticipating the shake-up, rival Airtel has already slashed 3G and 4G prices by up to 80 per cent while Vodafone has heaped more data into its prepaid tariffs.
Yet analysts said that comp…
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