Mukesh Ambani’s ambitious telecom venture, Reliance Jio Infocomm, has moved a step closer to its 4G launch. Reliance Jio gave access to the high-speed data for free in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat to conduct ground tests. This platform had participants from all over the world.
The company will continue to offer these services, christened Jio Internet, as part of the extended soft launch during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2015. Trial runs have been conducted by Reliance Jio Infocomm for the past 8-10 months to ensure that users get the best service post-launch.
The launch of 4G services
Earlier, Reliance Jio Infocomm had announced its plans to roll out its 4G LTE services at 800 cities in India by June 2015. The firm will initially distribute 4G dongles and Mi-Fi devices. This will allow users to access 4G on any Wi-Fi-enabled phone. The Mi-Fi devices can connect up to 10 handsets at a time. Reliance Jio is planning to offer an average speed of 16-18 mbps on its dongles. This speed is three times faster than the currently available 3G speed.
For enhanced connectivity, Reliance Jio has set up more than 30,000 towers, in addition to leasing towers from other companies. This will ensure greater reach and better network.
Other companies with 4G
Presently, Bharti Airtel and Aircel Ltd are the only telecom companies in India that offer 4G services. The former offers services in 15 cities including Bangalore, Pune and Mohan. Aircel covers four regions — Andhra Pradesh (AP), Assam, Bihar and Odisha.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was initiated in 2003 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to connect India to its vast overseas diaspora and bring the latter’s knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform. The PBD Convention is the flagship event of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India. It is organized from 7th-9th January every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion, since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest pravasi, returned to India from South Africa. He led our nation’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
This year’s PBD exhibition was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest private sector company. It is the first telecom operator to hold a pan-India unified license. This license authorizes Reliance Jio to provide all telecommunication services except Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Service.