Jio partners with Plume to improve customer experience

Reliance Jio, India's largest service provider, has partnered with Plume, a Wi-Fi device maker, as it tries to boost service quality for home and small business users. Under a deal announced during the Network X show in Paris, France, this week, Jio will use Plume's technology across some 200 million premises in India.

As part of the arrangement, the operator will be able to access Plume's "Haystack" Support and Operations Suite, designed to help customers identify and resolve performance-related issues more quickly. If Jio can better monitor and address WiFi quality issues, it may be able to reduce churn.

Typically, Indian telcos have focused on subscriber growth, but this is changing. Amid growing dependency on the Internet for personal and professional tasks, the focus is shifting to consumer demand for consistently high-quality services. This can be a challenge for service providers as the number of devices in any building, whether residential or workplace, continues to increase, leading to network congestion. 

Fixed broadband focus

Jio is also looking to grow its market share in fixed broadband and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services. This segment is shaping up for a fight between Jio and Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest service provider, after both operators launched 5G-powered FWA services earlier this year. Partnership with Plume indicates Jio's determination to acquire customers who might also be interested in future smart home and other related services.  

The growing focus of the Indian telcos on customer experience is a possible sign of changing demands, as customers mature and attach greater importance to quality of service. Unless operators can meet those demands, they risk losing customers to rival networks.