Ambani announces 5G launch by Diwali, Rs 2 trn investment for digital play

Reliance Jio will roll out 5G service across multiple cities, including four metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai) by Diwali and accelerate its broadband business as it aims to make India the largest data-powered economy in the world, Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced on Monday.

Reliance will invest Rs 2 trillion in 5G network, launch an affordable smartphone in partnership with Google, and introduce new solutions using wireless broadband such as Cloud-based personal computers to power its digital business.

Jio will deploy standalone technology for its 5G service that will be delivered “to every town, taluka, and tehsil by December 2023”.

Rival service provider Bharti Airtel had indicated 5G launch in August and a pan-Indian coverage by March 2024. Both Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) will rely on non-standalone versions for 5G service.

Ambani said Jio’s 5G network will be the largest and most advanced in the world and will be able to deliver new services, such as low latency connectivity, massive machine-to-machine communication, among others.

“Most operators are deploying a version of 5G, called non-standalone 5G, which is essentially a 5G radio signal delivered over an existing 4G infrastructure. This non-standalone approach is a hasty way to nominally claim a 5G launch, but it won’t deliver the breakthrough improvements in performance and capability possible with 5G,” said Ambani.  

INTERNET OF FUTURE

1. Tie-up with Qualcomm: Together the two firms will work on Cloud-native, scalable and flexible 5G infrastructure and ecosystem for India and abroad
2. 100 million homes: Jio looks to connect them with digital experience and smart home solutions
3. 20 million: No. of fixed broadband connections currently in India. It is ranked 138th globally

IN THE PIPELINE

1. Jio AirFiber: A wireless single-device solution for ultra-high-speed fixed broadband
2. Jio Cloud PC: A virtual PC hosted on cloud using this wireless solution. Reliance says it is replacing most of its office computers with these virtual PCs

Jio acquired 24,740 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum across various bands, including the 700 MHz in the recent 5G spectrum auction.

“This threefold advantage of a standalone 5G architecture, largest and best mix of spectrum, and carrier aggregation means that Jio 5G will be able to offer an unparalleled combination of coverage, capacity, quality, and affordability,” he stated.

Jio is working with Google to develop an affordable 5G-enabled phone and also tied up with Qualcomm to build solutions and infrastructure for 5G services in India and abroad.

Last year, Jio had rolled out its 4G-enabled phone in partnership with Google with a set of differentiated features and operating system.

“The partnerships related to 5G handsets will reduce the total cost of ownership of 5G services and help proliferate 5G adoption in India by making it more affordable. Content partnerships will help Jio show a clear use-case of 5G and thus differentiate itself from competition,” said Ashwinder Sethi, senior principal, Analysys Mason — a management consultancy.

“Jio’s aggressive plans on 5G implies that Airtel and Vi will have to also raise their game if they have to compete well and not lose market share. Overall, both consumers and enterprises stand to gain from increased competition,” he said.

“Many 5G operators globally are offering 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) as a substitute for wired home broadband. India’s home broadband penetration is one of the lowest in the world at 7 per cent of households. 5G FWA will allow Jio to offer home broadband in rural and urban areas in a more cost effective way by leveraging capacity on 5G mobile networks and thus boost home broadband access,” added Sethi.