Airtel Xstream vs Jio Fiber

Airtel Xstream vs Jio Fiber 

Bharti Airtel announced on Monday that it was expanding its XStream Entertainment platform by offering two hardware products: Airtel XStream Stick and Airtel XStream Box. The announcement comes days before the launch of Reliance Jio Fiber Broadband service, which will subscribe to video streaming platforms and provide priority service to Jio users and more. While most media publications are comparing Airtel's new offer with Jio's upcoming services, it is notable that the two are quite different.

Airtel offers only two devices for users to have access to streaming services. The XStream Stick is priced at Rs 3,999 and comes with a Chromecast built-in, runs a 1.6GHz processor and will allow access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the Google Play store. XStream Box is a hybrid box based on Android 9.0 that combines direct home services (DTH) and streaming applications into one package. The Airtel XStream box is priced at Rs 3,999 and includes the full access year of Xstream content at Rs 999. Airtel also offers a one-month HD subscription. If you are an Airtel Platinum or Airtel Gold customer, you can get free access to all content, while other Airtel users will have to pay Rs 999 per year to get a full access pass.

Now, there is no point in comparing two devices with Jio Fiber and Jio provides multiple services on a single device. On the other hand, Airtel's offering is only equivalent to a transmission box where you can install applications and view content using Google's Android platform. Jio will offer a comprehensive package where consumers have free broadband with decoder, free voice calls across India, video calls and videoconferencing by TV, a smart home connectivity platform, a dedicated gaming service, AR and VR capabilities, all streaming applications and Membership for more.

Obviously, the two are completely separate segments, which Airtel is offering is part of a broader service that Reliance Jio indicates. It will be interesting to see how Reliance will value your service when it is officially launched on 5 September.