Reliance Jio’s 5G network rollout to begin this Diwali: L of cities, expansion plans
Jio’s 5G network has an official roll out date. The next-generation of mobile LTE network will begin rolling out from Diwali, which is in October this year. Reliance Jio was the largest bidder during India’s 5G spectrum auction and spent Rs 88,078 crore on the auction. RIL has confirmed the 5G roll out date during its Annual General Meeting (AGM). It also plans to bring more affordable 5G phones to the market in partnership with Google.
The company clarified that 5G will be available in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai sometime in October this year. The exact date is not yet official. Jio also said that 5G will roll out nationwide December 2023. “I firmly believe that Digital Freedom is the birth right of every Indian. Therefore, 5G cannot remain an exclusive service, available only to the privileged few, or only to those in our largest cities. To build our pan-India True 5G network, we have committed a total investment of `2 lakh crore. Jio has prepared an ambitious 5G roll-out plan which will be the fastest in the world,” Mukesh Ambani, RIL chairman said during his keynote speech.
It is interesting to note that Jio 5G will use standalone 5G, instead of non-standalone 5G, which is dependent on 4G to provide connectivity. This will result in faster connectivity speed and reduced latency. Ambani also said during the speech that the aim is not to keep 5G out of the reach of the masses. He said that 5G connectivity will not be limited to just the privileged, and the expectation is that 5G could be more affordable from Jio.
“Jio 5G will be the world’s largest and most advanced 5G network. Most operators are deploying a version of 5G, called Non-Standalone 5G, which is essentially a 5G radio signal delivered over an exing 4G infrastructure. This Non-Standalone approach is a hasty way to nominally claim a 5G launch, but it won’t deliver the breakthrough improvements in performance and capability possible with 5G,” Ambani said in his speech.
He pointed out that Jio will have ‘true’ 5G connectivity given its SA 5G network. “In addition to the 3500 MHz mid-band which is globally earmarked for 5G, and the 26 GHz millimetre-wave band for ultra-high capacity, only Jio has the 700 MHz low-band spectrum which is essential for deep indoor coverage. And we are able to seamlessly combine these frequencies into a single powerful ‘data highway’, using an advanced technology, called Carrier Aggregation,” he added.
Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani said he has committed more than Rs 2 lakh crore to the rollout of 5G. The company also claimed that its fixed broadband service is the largest in the nation with over seven million customers and that two out of three people looking for a new connection choose Jio broadband.
The government has issued spectrum assignment letters a few days ago, which means telecom providers can start rolling out 5G as soon as they are ready.
