The telecom arm of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) is set to commence its services in cities like, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Jamnagar by the end of this financial year. The launch of 4G services in these cities will be at an affordable price so that consumers can afford it.
Tarun Jhunjhunwala, business head and state mentor (East), Reliance Jio said that, “Kolkata will be among the first few cities where we launch 4G services. The roll-out will happen in Delhi, Mumbai and Jamnagar simultaneously.” The senior executive also said that they want to change the game. As experts predicted, the launch of high speed and voice data services over fourth generation telecom networks by Reliance will change the current telecommunication scenario in the country.
Furthermore to cover the eastern and north-eastern areas of the country by the reach of these 4G services, RJIL is planning to invest about Rs, 7,000 crore in the coming three years. “We plan to invest Rs.3,000 crore in West Bengal. We will also invest Rs.3,000-4,000 crore to launch 4G services in other eastern and north-eastern states” Jhunjhunwala said. The company will soon launch the services across India.
To build the basic infrastructure for the telecom services, the company has planned to lay optical fibre cables across 5,500 km and use around 3,500 towers to support the network. “The work has already started. We have laid cable across 300 km. We also expect to create 5,000 jobs in the state.”Jhunjhunwala said.
Apart from the telecom services, the company has also planned to come up with 4G supportive devices like smartphones, smart televisions, internet dongles and tablets. It is also in take with device manufacturer companies like Samsung to design devices that are medium priced but offer 4G services. At present the company is focused on zeroing down on key agreements with its technology partners and device manufacturers. It is also in talks with its service providers, infrastructure providers, application partners, and other strategic partners for the project. In the annual report published by the company for the FY13, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of RIL, said that the project has acquired the basic infrastructural requirement for its launch across India. “India has a unique opportunity to surpass the world in delivery of digital content” he said. RJIL, according to him, will offer fast Internet connectivity on a pan-India basis. It will offer end-to-end solutions that address the entire value chain across various digital platforms like education, healthcare, security, financial services, government citizen interfaces and government. It will also give broadband access to Indian consumers and change dynamics of Internet-usage in the country.