Jio Wants To Give Colleges Free Wifi

Remember the days you struggled to get a decent signal in college, enough to group chat or upload that Snapchat story? And the only place where you could get that privilege were the places you were NOT allowed to use your phones (oh, the irony!). Well, those days may soon be behind as Jio has pledged to offer free WiFi to colleges across the country.

The company has already submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Human Resources to provide free Wifi to around 38,000 colleges. The proposal is being examined by the ministry who are yet to make a final decision.

In the past, Reliance Jio has partnered with the Punjab government to provide free Wifi facility to Industrial Training, polytechnics and engineering colleges in the State, the cost of which Jio will bear themselves. The new WiFi proposal, which will benefit 3 crore students in both technical and non-technical institutions, will have to go through a transparent tender process so that other such providers will be given a ‘fair chance’.

The proposal comes not long after Jio announced the launch of a free Jio Phone. Consumers can avail of the product for a security deposit of Rs. 1,500 which includes a Rs. 153 monthly voice and data in the package. The deposit is reportedly refundable after three years. However, this new initiative could be their most ambitious one yet.