Chinese smartphone maker Gionee has tied up with Reliance Jio to offer free data to Jio users who own a Gionee smartphone in form of redeemable vouchers, reports Economic Times. As per the report:
-Gionee P5L, P7 users with a Jio connection will get 2GB 4G data in form of redeemable voucher” cashback for every new recharge.
– Users holding an Elife S6, Elife S7, Marathon M5, S Plus, S6s, F103 pro, M5 lite CDMA, Marathon M4 , Marathon M5 Lite, P7 max and F103 devices will get free 5G of 4G data.
– A1, M5 Plus, S6 Pro, Elife E8 users will get free 10GB 4G data in form redeemable vouchers.
-Tie up with Paytm for cashback: Apart from this, Jio has tied up with Paytm wherein users who purchase a new Gionee A1 or P7max will receive Rs 250 cash back voucher. This can be redeemed in Paytm in form of Rs 250 flat discount on purchases of Rs 350 and above on Paytm Mall.
Jio’s offers are coming to an end, so it’s now giving data cashbacks
Jio’s promos are ending, so it is instead taking the ‘partnership route’ by tying up with major OEMs and smartphone brands to incentivize high-value Jio users and also to get new users. Such tie-ups ups allow Jio to get new users/connections, since attractive cashbacks offered via Paytm/Gionee can be availed only with a Jio number. Jio is also constantly rolling freebies in other forms and packages. Note that Jio’s competitors including Airtel, and Vodafone are also offering similar data cashbacks
Note that Jio had similar partnerships with multiple smartphone brands including Gionee while launching its network to the public last year. As of April 2017, Jio’s total active connection base stood at 80.12 million. This is only 71.19% of Jio’s overall mobile connection base which stood at 112.55 million
MediaNama’s Take
Such tie-ups aren’t regulated or audited by any external regulator. TRAI had recently issued a directive banning all licensed telcos in India from offering differential (or discriminatory) tariffs to a set or class of subscribers. However, TRAI does not specifically mention what constitutes “discriminatory” and telcos are not required to submit their promo plans for approval before it rolls out to users. Also, these regulations don’t apply for promo packs. But telcos like Jio or Airtel or Vodafone continue to tie-up with brands and offer free data to only a class of subscribers i.e. 4G users, new smartphone buyer/users, etc. TRAI needs to bring more clarity on such telco-brand tie-ups.
