On Sunday evening, millions of users suffer Reliance Jio network problem for across India faced an unexpected network blackout. From around 8:10 pm on July 6, cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and over 10 other major urban centres went dark – at least in terms of mobile signal and internet connectivity.
Users Left Stranded Without Signal or Internet
Phones suddenly showed “emergency calls only” or blank signal bars, leaving people unable to make calls, access mobile data, or even connect to customer care. Within hours, DownDetector received over 11,000 complaints, with 81% of users reporting “no signal”. Some also faced JioFiber internet outages, adding to the frustration.
“My phone showed no signal for nearly 40 minutes. I couldn’t call family or colleagues. Even customer care wasn’t reachable,” said Ashish, a software engineer from Mumbai.
Outrage on Social Media
As expected, the outage triggered anger and memes on social media. People posted screenshots of their dead networks, tagging Jio’s official handles and asking:
“What’s the use of cheapest data when there’s no data at all?”
“Jio down again? Should I restart the phone or my life?”
The sarcasm stemmed from Jio’s generic advice via its chatbot and customer support – “Please restart your device or turn on airplane mode and back.”
Jio network problem : Not the First Time
This is far from Jio’s first widespread disruption. Just three weeks ago on June 16, Kerala experienced a major network downfall. Over 12,000 complaints were reported in under an hour, with a 12-hour blackout affecting 56% of mobile data connections and 29% of signals.
At that time, engineers internally blamed it on a software update failure, but Reliance Jio never officially offered an explanation or apology to its users.
Similarly:
Gujarat (June 29): Users reported “4G service down for two weeks”.
Madhya Pradesh (July 1): Multiple complaints of signal and data issues.
While monsoon rains can damage towers, Sunday’s clear weather ruled out external factors, suggesting an internal failure within Jio’s network systems.
Customer Care Also Collapsed
As users dialled customer care in frustration, they found no relief. Phone lines were busy or disconnected due to overwhelming call volumes. For a service with over 450 million subscribers, this highlighted the lack of robust contingency plans during outages.
“I kept trying JioCare but it either disconnected or put me on hold forever,” tweeted one user from Bengaluru.
Jio Remains Silent
As of Monday morning, there is no official statement from Reliance Jio . The company has not provided:
An explanation of the outage cause
A timeline for full restoration
Any apology or compensation assurance for affected users
Why Such Frequent Outages?
Experts suggest three main reasons:
Overloaded Network: Jio’s large user base strains its infrastructure during peak usage or internal updates.
Software Failures: Recent Kerala and now nationwide issues hint at backend software update failures.
Lack of Redundant Backup Systems: Unlike older telecoms with layered backups, Jio’s rapid expansion may have overlooked certain redundancies.
What Can Users Do During Such Outages?
If your Jio network stops working:
- Restart your phone
- Turn on and off airplane mode
- Check for SIM placement or dust issues
- Switch to a secondary network if urgent calls are needed
- Use WiFi calling if JioFiber remains active
However, in cases like Sunday where even JioFiber faced disruptions, options remain limited until the company restores services.
The Bigger Question
While Reliance Jio revolutionised India’s telecom sector with cheap data and massive coverage, frequent outages raise concerns about reliability. As digital dependence grows – from banking to working remotely – such blackouts can cause not just inconvenience but serious economic disruptions.
For now, Jio users across India can only hope that the telecom giant takes this latest failure seriously, fixes its backend vulnerabilities, and communicates transparently with its customers – something that has been missing time and again.