To form a base for Reliance Jio Infocomm’s fourth-generation (4G) services launch, the Mukesh Ambani-led company has opened small consumer electronic stores. During the last quarter of 2014, Reliance Retail, an arm of Reliance Industries, started 279 stores across the country. Out of these, 231 stores are digital stores. 90% of these are small stores, known as Digital Xpress Mini, while their larger counterparts are christened Digital Xpress.
Rajeev Karwal was the first Chief Executive Officer of Reliance Digital. He is now the Founder and Director of Milagrow Business and Knowledge Solutions. He appreciated the new strategy adopted by Reliance Industries, remarking that these stores selling digital and Jio products will assist the company in spreading awareness about Reliance Jio.
The Digital Stores
The Digital Xpress store covers an area of 2,000 sq. ft. It has been initiated to focus mainly on mobile phones and electronic accessories. The company plans to turn them into “experience stores” for Reliance Jio. Meanwhile, the Digital Xpress Mini stores deliver the company’s products and message from stores as small as 250 sq. ft.
Reliance Jio’s preparations for 4G
Reliance Jio is gearing up to launch its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in India. It has plans to initiate the services in 800 cities in the second quarter of 2015. An executive of the company said that it is necessary for Reliance Industries to create a base for itselfbefore the launch of 4G services; an activity that is witnessed through the opening of these stores.
Aligning Activities of Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail
Reliance Industries is striving to align operations of Reliance Retail with Reliance Jio. Recently, it gave the retail arm the mandate to drive 4G devices. The Managing Director of Reliance Jio Infocomm, Sandip, Das has joined the board of Reliance Retail to mentor its Jio Division. In the past, the company internally expanded the role of Reliance Retail Human ResourcesHead, Sanjay Jog, to include Jio. Reports suggest that the organization plans to have common executives and infrastructure for back-end operations of the two divisions.
Reliance JioInfocomm
Mumbai-based Reliance Jio has obtained permits to offer high-speed 4G data and voice services across the country and is all set to launch its 4G wireless services this year through airwaves in the band of 2.3 GHz. In February 2014, Reliance Jio bagged 1800 MHz bandwidth in 14 circles with which it will also offer voice services. The company already has 2300 MHz spectrum in 22 circles. Besides, in October 2013, the company had obtained a Unified License (UL) as well.