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ManagementBusiness Model PivotFintechIntermediate2010
Zerodha: Discount Broking Revolution
The challenge
Reliance Jio entered India's telecom market in 2016 as a complete newcomer against established giants Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea. Data prices were among the highest in the world. Only 250 million Indians had smartphones despite a population of 1.3 billion.
The strategy
Mukesh Ambani's strategy was to give everything away free — voice calls, SMS, and data — for the first 6 months at launch. The goal was to force the entire market to restructure around data rather than voice, where Jio had the most modern infrastructure.
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Try the full case free →Key lessons (preview)
- If you have deep enough capital, a free launch can restructure an entire industry.
- Building the right infrastructure before launch makes your strategy defensible.
- Forcing competitors into a price war on your terms is a devastating competitive move.