Want a Jio SIM card? Arm yourself with right documents or battle armour
Right from Thursday, when Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani launched the telecom network, all Reliance outlets -- Xpress, Xpress Mini stores and Reliance Digital stores – have been seeing consumers queue up, jostling to get their hands on a working SIM card. We tried it on Monday, and this is what we learned.
Reliance Jio SIM cards are now available across retail outlets – Xpress, Xpress Mini stores and Reliance Digital stores. As consumers queue up, HT tells you how to avail the service (which offers free voice calling and data roaming, among others), and get your hand on a working SIM card.
How to get the SIM?
Initially they are available only at Reliance outlets. Visit one of them, but be prepared to spend a little more than 15 minutes promised by Reliance, it can take up a considerable part of your day.
What documents do you need?
If you want the SIM to be activated immediately, carry a Aadhaar from the same state the store is in. If your Aadhaar is from a different state, then you will have to go through the normal activation process, which will at least take two-three days. Other documents, which you can give include driving licences, PAN card, voter ID card, along with two photographs. The SIM activation will be delayed in such cases as well. You can use your e-Aadhaar card as well (at least officially)
Activating the card on your own
After you receive the SIM card, you will be prompted to follow the steps sent by the company to your registered email address. Since the activation and billing process is entirely online, you will get the receipts through email and SMS. The company will tele-verify your phone number to complete the entire activation and verification process.
VoLTE activation
To activate VoLTE, the way you make voice calls on the RelJio network, you’ll need to call 1977. Tele-verification process will be carried out on the same call. Keep your Jio SIM purchase bill and other documents handy.
What’s in an e-aadhaar? A lot it seems
Officially, an e-Aadhaar can help you get a RelJio SIM. But unofficially the picture looks different, at least initially
When an HT reporter went to a Reliance Digital Xpress store, posing as a customer with a print out of her e-Aadhaar card, she was not allowed to enter.
When asked for a clarification, a store operator said: “The machine is not accepting the e-Aadhaar card. You can go to any other store. You can go to V3S Mall. You will get a connection from there with your e-Aadhaar Card.”
Another store operator confirmed that there are four systems at V3S Mall in east Delhi and it might be easy to get a SIM card there with the e-Aadhaar card. But there was no clarity on how many days it would take for the SIM to get activated, if one applies with an e-Aadhaar, and is not a resident of the same city.