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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nairspecht (talk | contribs) at 12:03, 4 December 2015 (→‎Effect on Telecom Market: →‎Reliance Jio 4G Broadband). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jio
Formerly
  • Infotel Broadband Services Limited (2009 - 2013), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (2013 - 2015)
Company typePrivate
Unlisted (as of December 2015)
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded2007 (2007) - Mumbai, India
Headquarters
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
India
Key people
Sanjay Mashruwalla (Managing Director)
Jyotindra Thacker (Head of IT)
Akash Ambani (Chief of Strategy) [1]
Products
Revenue11,000,000,000 United States dollar (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
1,600,000,000 United States dollar (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets38,000,000,000 United States dollar (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
OwnerMukesh Ambani
ParentReliance Industries
Websitewww.jio.com

Jio (originally called Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL)), also known as Reliance Jio,[2] is an upcoming provider of mobile telephony, broadband services, and digital services in India. Formerly known as Infotel Broadband Services Limited, Reliance Jio will provide 4G services on a pan-India level using LTE technology.[3][4] The telecom leg of Reliance Industries Limited, it was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Mumbai, India.

The services will be launched in April 2016.[5][6]

History

In June 2010, Reliance Industries (RIL) bought a 95% stake in Infotel Broadband Broadband Services (IBBL) for Rs 4,800 crore. Although unlisted, IBBL was the only firm to win broadband spectrum in all 22 zones in India in the 4G auction that took place earlier that year.[7] Later continuing as RIL's telecom subsidiary, Infotel Broadband Services Limited was renamed as Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) in January 2013.[8]

Operations

In June 2015, Jio announced that it will start its operations all over the country by the end of 2015.[10] However, four months later in October 2015, the company's spokesmen sent out a press release stating that the launch was postponed to the first quarter of the financial year 2016-2017.[11]

Later in July, a PIL filed in the Supreme Court by an NGO called the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, through Prashant Bhushan, challenged the grant of pan-India licence to Jio by the Government of India. The PIL also alleged that Jio was allowed to provide voice telephony along with its 4G data service, by paying an additional fees of just ₹165.8 crore (US$20 million) which was arbitrary and unreasonable, and contributed to a loss of ₹2,284.2 crore (US$270 million) to the exchequer.[12][13]

The Indian Department of Telecom (DoT), however, refuted all of CAG's claims. In its statement, DoT explained that the rules for 3G and BWA spectrum didn't restrict BWA winners from providing voice telephony. As a result, the PIL was revoked, and the accusations were dismissed.[14]

Effect on Telecom Market

A report released by the brokerage firm, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, on October 30, 2015 foresaw that Jio will lead India's 4G LTE market with 40 percent market share by 2019-2020, while the share of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, and Idea Cellular will collectively reach 60 percent by 2019-20, up from 53 percent in 2016-17. The report also highlighted the difficulties that the telcos would face once 4G operations start in the country.[15]

On November 11, 2015, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises Sunil Mittal said that Jio's launch in the 2016-2017 financial year would bring further consolidation in the Indian telecom sector. Talking to a CNBC TV18 correspondent, he also credited other operators like MTS and Reliance Communications for the same, and opined that the ideal situation for India should be four private operators and state-run BSNL.[16][17]

According to the Asian brokerage firm, CLSA, the launch of 4G services by Jio and other operators like Videocon and Idea in the 2016 will boost smartphone sales in India, causing it to jump from 45% in overall mobile phone shipments to 75%. On the overall data front, the report by CLSA expects that by December 2018, the top three operators of that time will continue to gain share and account for 73% of sector revenue, and data revenues will nearly triple to $14 billion.[18][19]

On November 28, 2015, Zauba, an import tracking website sent out a report stating that Jio had imported over half a million SIM cards ahead of its launch in the forthcoming financial year.[20]

Products and Services

Reliance Jio 4G Broadband

The company will launch its 4G data services throughout India in the first quarter of 2016-2017 financial year.[21] It was slated to release in December 2015 after some reports said that the company was waiting to receive final permits from the government.[22] Mukesh Ambani, owner of Reliance Industries (RIL) whose Reliance Jio is the telecom subsidiary, had unveiled details of Jio's fourth-generation (4G) services on June 12, 2015 at RIL's 41st annual general meeting. It will offer data and voice services with peripheral services like instant messaging, live TV, movies on demand, news, streaming music, and a digital payments platform.[23]

File:Reliance Jio Palm Tree Tower.jpg
A camouflaged 4G tower by Jio in Jamshedpur

The company has a network of more than 250,000 km of fiber optic cables in the country, over which it will be partnering with local cable operators to get broader connectivity for its broadband services.[24] With its multi-service operator (MSO) licence, Jio will also serve as a TV channel distributor and will offer television-on-demand on its network.

India's first camouflaged 4G mobile tower was set up by Jio in Jamshedpur in May 2015 as a pilot project. Standing at a height of 35 meters, the imported tower was set up near the Center for Excellence in the city. Prabhat Sinha, Jharkhand State Mentor of Jio, said in an interview that the ingenious tower was a tribute to the dense green cover of the country's first planned industrial city. "Currently we have palm- and pine-tree shaped towers, but it can convert to the shape of any other tree including mango or some other structure to match the greenery of the area," he added.[25][26]

In October 2015, Senior Vice President of wireless at Jio, Tareq Amin, joined the International Small Cell Forum in an attempt to strengthen and expand the forum's global presence and influence. Announcing the move, Small Cell Forum Chairman Alan Law said, "Small cell technology will play a key part in the densification of mobile networks as the industry responds to the challenge of the need for ever greater capacity and connectivity."[27] Jio will employ small cell technology to widen coverage, increase connection speed, and to improve capacity of number of users in a call. In April, Jio started testing the technology by implementing it on street lights to extend its 4G LTE service.[28][29]

Pan-India Spectrum

Jio owns spectrum in 800 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands in 10 and 6 circles, respectively, of the total 22 circles in the country, and also owns pan-India licensed 2,300 MHz spectrum. The spectrum is valid till 2035.[30] Ahead of its digital services launch, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio entered into a spectrum sharing deal with younger brother Anil Ambani-backed Reliance Communications. The sharing deal is for 800 MHz band across seven circles other than the 10 circles for which Jio already owns.[31]

Following is a table which lists the circles and their corresponding allocated spectrum:

Circle Allocated Spectrum Remarks (if any)
Mumbai 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Haryana 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Uttar Pradesh (East) 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Madhya Pradesh 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Assam 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Bihar 800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Himachal Pradesh 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Jammu & Kashmir 800 MHz, 2300 MHz
North East 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Orissa 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Delhi 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Kolkata 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Andhra Pradesh 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Gujarat 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Karnataka 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Maharashtra 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Tamil Nadu 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 800 MHz Shared with RCOM
Kerala 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Rajasthan 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
West Bengal 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz
Uttar Pradesh (West) 2300 MHz

In December 2015, reports claimed that Jio would be extending its 800MHz spectrum sharing deal with RCOM from seven circles to nine.[32]

Statewide Roll-out

On October 28, 2015, deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Badal, announced that Jio would serve the whole state with high-speed mobile broadband services even before the firm launches its services nationwide in 2016. Jio has already invested ₹3,900 crore (US$470 million) in Punjab, which once the project is executed, will become the first state in India where every single village which will be covered with mobile broadband connectivity.[33][34][35]

On October 9, 2015, Jio started testing its 4G service in cities like Thrissur in the Southern state of Kerala. Being one of the six operators that will cover the state, it will start its operations by end of 2015.[36]

LYF 4G Smartphones

Jio has tied up with domestic handset maker Intex to supply 4G handsets enabled with voice over LTE (VoLTE) feature. Through this, it plans to offer 4G voice calling besides rolling out high-speed Internet services using a fiber network,[37] in addition to the 4G wireless network.[38]

On October 16, 2015, Reliance Indudstries' retail sector brand, Reliance Retail, announced that the company is set to launch its 4G smartphones under the brand name LYF (pronounced 'life') in association with Jio. Although it had tied up with Intex for the same, the company has decided to build their own brand. However, it will keep its ties with the domestic handset maker, adding it to the list of various smartphone makers that Jio has tied up with, so as to back the country's Make in India digital campaign. It plans to sell LYF phones through its wide distribution and retail networks as well as multi-brand outlets and Reliance Retail stores.[39]

LYF smartphones will be made by CK Telecom, an equipment manufacturer based in Heyuan in Guangdong, China. Priced at ₹4,000 (US$48), they will have features like Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-FI), HD Voice, and HD quality video calling, and are slated to be released sometime in November 2015. Other than this, RJIL has also tied up with other Chinese electronics firms, ZTE Corp and BYD, to launch handsets and wifi dongles.[40]

Jionet WiFi

Prior to its pan-India launch of 4G data and telephony services, Jio has started providing free Wi-Fi hotspot services in cities throughout India including Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat,[41] select locations of Mumbai in Maharashtra,[42] Kolkata in West Bengal,[43] Lucknow,[44] Bhubaneswar in Odisha,[45] Mussoorie,[46] and Collectorate's Office in Meerut[47] among others.

On October 25, 2015, during the one-day international (ODI) between India and South Africa, Jio offered its Wi-Fi hotspot services in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A record-breaking 2.2 TB of data, at an average of 156 MB per user, was consumed by the 14,500 spectators, for which the company spokesman opined, “Spectators lapped up the Jionet services, breaking all records of fastest average speed delivered per person and adoption rate (percentage of spectators who used the service in a stadium).”[48]

On November 2, 2015, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) announced that it had tied up with Jio to provide 4G Wi-Fi services at select 10 bus terminals of Dehradun, Roorkee, Haldwani, Kashipur, Ramnagar, Tanakpur, Kotdwar, Rishikesh, and Ranikhet. On October 31, a bus stand in Haridwar became the first location in the state to receive Jionet Wi-Fi.[49]

Jio Chat

File:Reliance Jio Chat Official Logo.png
Jio Chat Official Logo

It is an instant messaging application for Android and Apple iOS users that was launched earlier in 2015. Operated by Reliance Jio Messaging Services Pvt Ltd (RJMSPL), it provides messaging over internet, video and voice calling.[50][51] In September 2015, the application crossed 2 million downloads.[52]

Jio Money Merchant

Earlier in October 2015, Jio announced that it had started testing its mobile wallet service called Jio Money Merchant which is meant for professional service providers such as small and large businessmen, traders, tutors and shopkeepers. The service is slated to be launched around December 2015.[53]

Sponsorships

In June 2015, Jio became the title sponsor of the 17th edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival which started on October 29th and ended on November 5th and was conducted in five different venues throughout Mumbai.[54]

In July, Jio Chat became the principal sponsor of Jaipur Pink Panthers during the 2015 edition of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League.[55]

CSR Activities

Innovators' Race - India Challenge

In October 2015, Jio tied up with IT service management company Capgemini to launch a campaign about digital life in India. A challenge was thrown open to students who were asked to innovate on the idea of a digital ecosystem and how it can "transform the way knowledge is imparted across all parts of the country, and especially considering the language inability, multilingual culture, and size of India."[56]

References

  1. ^ Mukesh Ambani's son Akash joins Reliance Industries; begins at telecom arm Reliance Jio, The Economic Times
  2. ^ R-Jio likely to drop ‘R’ from brand name as it prepares for 4G roll-out, Live Mint
  3. ^ Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, Cellular Operators Association of India
  4. ^ Reliance Jio Infocomm plans to launch pan-India LTE, RCR Wireless News
  5. ^ Reliance Jio likely to delay its December pan-India launch, Live Mint
  6. ^ Reliance Jio 4G launch hit with further delay, Developing Telecoms
  7. ^ Reliance Industries buys 95% stake in IBnfotel Broadband for Rs 4,800 cr, The Economic Times Business Line
  8. ^ RIL's Infotel Broadband renamed Reliance Jio Infocomm, The Times of India Business Line
  9. ^ How Reliance Jio boosted Wi-Fi experience at Wankhede Stadium, Telecom Lead
  10. ^ Reliance Jio to launch commercial operations by December; to alter telecom industry landscape, say experts, The Economic Times
  11. ^ Reliance Jio likely to delay its December pan-India launch, Live Mint
  12. ^ "Petition against 4G licence to Reliance Jio: Apex court seeks Centre's reply". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Reliance Jio goes for the kill". Rediff.com. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  14. ^ "DoT refutes CAG's charges of favouring Reliance Jio by allowing it to convert its ISP permit into a unified license". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  15. ^ "Reliance Jio to be the leading 4G player by 2019-2020: Report", http://telecomtalk.info/, Telecom Talk, 1 November 2015, retrieved 30 November 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  16. ^ Rel Jio entry to consolidate Indian telecom sector: Mittal, Business Standard
  17. ^ Reliance Jio's 4G services will 'shake up' Indian telecom space: Airtel's Sunil Mitta, International Business Times
  18. ^ Reliance Jio launch will boost smartphone sales, analysts say, Livemint
  19. ^ Mobile data revenue to nearly treble to $14 bln in next 2 years: CLSA, The Economic Times
  20. ^ G, Tharun (29 November 2015), "RJio imports over 5 lakhs SIM cards before launch", http://telecomtalk.info/, Telecom Talk, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  21. ^ Reliance Jio likely to delay its December pan-India launch, Live Mint
  22. ^ Reliance Jio to launch commercial operations by December; to alter telecom industry landscape, say experts, The Economic Times
  23. ^ Reliance to launch Jio by Dec, set to kick off pricing war, Business Standard
  24. ^ Reliance Jio looking to partner local cable firms in broadband push, Livemint
  25. ^ Bose, Antara (25 May 2015), "How to palm off a tower as a tree - Ambani nod to Tata township's greens", http://www.telegraphindia.com/, The Telegraph - India, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  26. ^ "Reliance Jio sets up first camouflaged mobile tower", http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/, The Economic Times, 25 May 2015, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  27. ^ {{citation |url=http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/reliance-jio-senior-vp-wireless-joins-small-cell-forum/49500330%7Clast= | first= | date= October 23, 2015 | website=http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/ | publisher=[[The Economic Times|access-date=December 4, 2015|title=Reliance Jio senior VP, wireless joins Small Cell Forum}}
  28. ^ "What are small cell towers? How Jio is employing them to achieve blanket 4G coverage before launch", http://telecomtalk.info/, Telecom Talk, 8 December 2015, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  29. ^ "Reliance Jio Trials Small Cells on Street Lights to Extend 4G LTE Service", http://www.thefastmode.com/, The Fast Mode, 8 December 2015, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  30. ^ Pan India 2015 spectrum holding data sheet (updated), Telecom Talk, retrieved 30 November 2015
  31. ^ Reliance Jio to share RCom spectrum in seven circles, The Hindu Business Line
  32. ^ Shrivastava, Bhuma (8 December 2015), "Billionaire Ambani Said to Widen Airwave Pact as Jio Delayed", http://www.bloomberg.com/, Bloomberg, retrieved 4 December 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  33. ^ Reliance Jio to cover Punjab with mobile broadband, The Economic Times
  34. ^ Reliance Jio mobile broadband to cover each and every village of Punjab, Business Insider - India
  35. ^ Reliance Jio makes Rs 3,900 crore investment in Punjab: Mukesh Ambani, Telecom Lead - India
  36. ^ Reliance Jio starts testing 4G service in Kerala, RTN-ASIA
  37. ^ Reliance Jio to roll out broadband service on fibre across 900 cities, The Economic Times
  38. ^ Intex ties up with Reliance Jio to supply 4G handsets, The Indian Express
  39. ^ Reliance set to launch 4G smart phone ‘LYF’ soon, Hindustan Times
  40. ^ Reliance Jio’s LYF 4G phone to take on Lenovo K3 Note from next week, Real Time News - Asia
  41. ^ Reliance Jio offers strategic Wi-Fi hotspot free services to increase user base, Mobiletor
  42. ^ Reliance Jio launches unlimited free WiFi in Mumbai for Ganesh Utsav, The Indian Express
  43. ^ Reliance Jio Introduces Free Public Wifi in Kolkata, How to Use Jionet Wifi ?, Telecom Talk
  44. ^ Reliance Jio launches free Wi-Fi service in Lucknow's Hazratganj, The Economic Times - Telecom
  45. ^ Reliance Jio Launches 4G Wi-Fi Internet Service in Bhubaneswar, Gadgets 360
  46. ^ Mussoorie, the First Hill Station to receive Reliance Jio’s Wi-Fi Service, Reliance News
  47. ^ Reliance Jio to offer free 4G-backed WiFi service at Meerut collectorate, The Economic Times
  48. ^ ODI at Wankhede Stadium saw record data consumption on Jio's bandwidth, Business Standard
  49. ^ Soon passengers to avail free Wi-Fi at 10 bus terminals in Uttarakhand, Nyoooz
  50. ^ Jio Chat, Jio Chat Website
  51. ^ Jio Chat Messenger for Android, Google Play
  52. ^ Reliance Jio Chat app crosses 2 million users in less than six months of launch, The Economic Times
  53. ^ Reliance Jio starts testing mobile wallet service, Live Mint
  54. ^ "Reliance Jio named title sponsor for MAMI festival", http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/, The Economic Times, 11 June 2015, retrieved 30 November 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  55. ^ "Jio Chat title sponsor for Jaipur Pink Panthers", http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/, The Economic Times, 18 July 2015, retrieved 30 November 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |website= (help)
  56. ^ Innovators' Race by Capgemini, in association with Reliance Jio, Innovators' Race by Capgemini
  • Tharun G (edited, tabulated, & reported by) (19 April 2015). "800 MHz, 2300 MHz". Pan India 2015 spectrum holding data sheet (updated) (Table) (Report) (Second ed.). Mumbai, India: Telecomtalk. Retrieved 30 November 2015. Jio owns 800 MHz and 2300 MHz spectrum in 16 and 22 circles of the country, respectively {{cite report}}: |author= has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

See also

Template:Major Indian companies

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