Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance JioInfocomm Limited will soon be rolling out its voice and 4G data services in five cities across India. The launch is expected to occur by June. In the second half of the year, the company may cover the entire country.
An executive from the company informed that the five cities to witness the launch are Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Few other cities that has around 90% of the infrastructure set may also be added.
Acquisitions of Reliance Jio
The company is gearing up for its 4G launch since 2010, after it acquired the broadband wireless access spectrum to roll out the services in any part of the country. In October, 2013, the company won pan-India Unified License that enables it to provide almost any telecommunication service.
In the 2,300 MHz broadband wireless access spectrum, Reliance Jio bagged pan-India 20 MHz in 22 regions and in 1,800 MHz band it got 5-7MHz in 14 areas.
Strategy of Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio is aligning activities like voice, entertainment, e-commerce, news, education and video all on a single platform of a mobile phone along with speedy internet.
One week ago, the organization introduced its service of Jio Chat, which is a messaging application like WhatsApp. This application is not related to its 4G service but indicates the company’s intention of becoming a single platform for the users.
A spokesperson of Reliance Jio said, “We have made significant progress in being ready to start service, including physical network infrastructure, systems and processes, sales and distribution network, applications and services, content, etc. We are working with strategic partners who have committed significant resources, know-how and global talent to support deployment and testing activities currently underway.”
Preparations of Reliance Jio
As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Reliance Jio will have to launch its services in 90% of the metros and 50% of rural areas within five years of obtaining the spectrum. The company is all set to meet its 2015 deadline. It will be launching the services across the country in phases. Around 900 towns are aimed by the company.
For wireless access, the company is not only using its own network but also of other companies. Around 3 lakhs towers of varied companies including Reliance Communications Limited and Bharti Airtel Limited is used by Reliance Jio.The company will also start training its employees for the services from April end. Employees will be provided 4G enabled phones like Samsung S6 and Samsung S6 Edge to let them have fist hand experience of the service.
Although the company will be launching the mobile services soon, its fiber-to-home services that provide 4G connectivity to personal computers, still seems to be a distant reality. The fiber-to-home service will take some time to roll out as the company is slowly moving with its infrastructure.