Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) earlier this month that Jio Fiber will finally start rolling out commercially beginning September 5. At the same time, Ambani revealed that the Jio Fiber consumers will also get fixed line phone service, earlier called Jio FixedVoice. At the AGM however, Ambani called the service Jio Home Phone, and this branding is likely to be what will be rolled out commercially. Jio FixedVoice aka Jio Home Phone was first spotted back in April this year when the ISP was testing it with a limited number of GigaFiber consumers. It has recently started the wider rollout of the landline service to the existing Jio Fiber users.
During his AGM address, Mukesh Ambani reiterated his original promise and said that the Jio Fiber users will only have to pay for a single service – data – and they will get the landline service, Jio Home Phone, for free. Although the voice calls will be free inside India, Jio Fiber users will have to purchase their own landline equipment. The company is only providing a Jio Fiber router device in which the landline equipment is connected.
In this article, we take a look at how a Jio Fiber users can activate JioFixedVoice aka Jio Home Phone and use the landline service.
How existing Jio Fiber users can activate Jio Home Phone landline service
The existing Jio Fiber users can activate Jio Home Phone by going to the MyJio app. Follow these steps:
- Open the MyJio app on your smartphone and select the Jio GigaFiber account (yes, the company is still referring to Jio Fiber as Jio GigaFiber in the app).
- Tap on the recharge option, following which a pop-up window will appear and will guide you through the activation process.
- During the process, Jio will send an OTP to your registered mobile number.
- Once you have entered the OTP, the Jio Home Phone landline service will be activated for your Jio Fiber connection.
Reliance Jio will also allot a number for the landline service that can be used by others to call you or will show up for others when you call them. After finishing the process on the MyJio app, connect your landline device using RJ11 phone cable to the available port on the back of your Jio Fiber router.
How new Jio Fiber users can activate Jio Home Phone landline service
New Jio Fiber users won’t need to activate the Jio FixedVoice aka Jio Home Phone landline service as it will already be activated in their account. They will get a landline number at the time of Jio Fiber installation itself.
Jio Home Phone service lets Jio Fiber subscribers call numbers of all telcos
How to use Jio Home Phone without a physical landline
Similar to how Reliance Jio allows JioFi users to make phone calls using an app on their smartphone, the company is also allowing the Jio Fiber users to make calls using their smartphones. The service will work on your smartphone without a SIM card as well since it uses your Jio Fiber broadband service to place the call.
Jio Fiber subscribers use the JioCall on Android app to place or receive calls via their smartphones. It is the same app that was earlier known as Jio4GVoice on Android and is still known by the same name on iOS. The JioCall app will also let Jio Fiber uses place a video call, something that is not possible via regular landline equipment.
To use JioCall with your Jio Fiber connection, you will have to configure your JioFixedVoice number into the app. Follow these steps:
- During the configuration process, the app will give you three options – Mobile, JioFi, and Fixed. Choose the Fixed option and enter details.
- The JioCall app will then send an OTP to your registered number. Enter this OTP to finish the configuration.
- Once the configuration is complete, the JioCall app can be used to place or receive calls.
The app shows all your contacts. To place a call, tap on a contact and the app will offer two options – Fixed line call or Fixed video call – select the option you want and the app will place the call.
It is important to note here that JioCall will only work when you are connected to your Jio network. The app won’t work with the service of any other Internet provider, including your cellular service.