New Delhi, Aug 12 (KNN) Reliance Group's Chairman Mukesh Ambani has announced Jio's special plans for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that includes offering connectivity and business-related applications starting at just Rs 1,500 a month.

To run their (MSMEs) business, a bundle of connectivity, productivity and automation tools costs a micro and small business between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per month currently.

For a similar service, customers abroad pay over 1,000 dollars per month. Today we are taking the bold step of giving these applications along with our connectivity to small businesses for 1/10th the cost starting at Rs 1,500 per month, he added,.

The commitment comes after Reliance Jio announced its partnership with Microsoft at the 42nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries to set up one of the largest networks of world-class data centers across the country. These will be powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

Also, the company will be offering free internet, cloud space and connectivity for the new-age startups.

Through Azure, Jio-developed cloud solutions will give startups access to ‘efficient and affordable cloud infrastructure and platform services, enabling them to develop innovative products and services faster and more cost-effectively.

Jio will also be investing and offering financial support to such startups having the potential to address India’s big needs in agriculture, healthcare, education and skill development which will boost the creation of new livelihoods, said Mukesh Ambani.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambani said special connectivity services for startups will be available from January 1, 2021. Startups can start registering on the Jio portal.