RIL's 4G LYF handsets by November, co to share spectrum with RCom

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Reliance Industries today announced that it will provide 4G services through its own LYF brand smartphones that will allow customers to make Internet-based calls.

"Reliance Retail will soon launch its own brand of 4G LTE smartphones under the brand LYF. The brand built on the premise of unmatched user experience will offer high-performance handsets that deliver a true 4G experience comparable to the best in the world," RIL said in a statement.

According to sources, LYF will have a dual SIM slot and is expected to be available in the market from November -- a month before the scheduled launch of its commercial 4G service.

The 4G smartphones will enable customers to make Internet-based calls like Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-FI), High Definition Voice and High Definition quality video calling on Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) network.

Gearing up to the commercial launch, RIL said it has informed the Department of Telecom the sharing of spectrum in the 800 MHz band with RCom across seven telecom circles.

The sharing agreement will provide more bandwidth for RJIL to provide its high-speed 4G services.

The company holds the highest amount of liberalised spectrum among telecom operators which can be used for deploying any technology for mobile services. It has a total of 751.1 MHz spectrum across 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands.

"RJIL plans to provide seamless 4G services using LTE in 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands through an integrated ecosystem," RIL said.

The company said it has substantially completed its network rollout across the country and the network is currently being tested and optimised.

"The initial results have been positive. The company expects to ramp up its beta programme over the next few weeks to further optimise the network, prior to commercial launch of operations. 2016-17 is projected to be the first year of commercial operations for RJIL," RIL said.

The company in June has said it plans to offer telecom, high-speed data, digital commerce, media and payment services for about Rs 300-500 per month.