Reliance Says It Will Roll Out 5G In Late 2021

Reliance Jio Infocomm will debut 5G high-speed internet in India starting in the second half of 2021, a report from LiveMint.com says, quoting Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Ambani, speaking at the fourth edition of the India Mobile Congress, said the solution for fifth-generation wireless service would be built indigenously.

Ambani also added that the country required policy developments for early 5G implementation.

Other rivals, such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, say the 5G tech isn't as close as Reliance Jio says, and that it could be another two years away due to India's lacking ecosystem and the expensive price tag, the report says.

Jio Platforms said in October it was working with U.S.-based Qualcomm on developing 5G solutions at faster rates. And in July, Ambani said at the annual general meeting that the company had developed a "complete 5G solution from scratch."

"This will enable us to launch a world-class 5G service in India using a 100 percent homegrown technology and solution," he said, according to LiveMint.

The report also notes that Jio Platforms raised ₹1.52 trillion from investors including Google and Facebook to go toward the project.

The 5G technology will enable users to access faster internet speeds, low latency communications and better digital experiences in general, including on connected devices like smartphones, enterprise laptops, augmented and virtual reality products, and internet of things (IoT) solutions, the report says.

Earlier this year, PYMNTS reported that Reliance was looking at implementing 200 million low-cost smartphones, with some as low as $54, if the customers signed up for a Reliance account. The effort reflected India's goals to engineer more domestic manufacturing and to encourage more consumption of products domestically.

In addition, the low-cost phones could be a jump-off point for a new ecosystem linking platforms, consumers, retailers and technology. Jio has around 400 million subscribers in India, a music streaming service and a streaming TV business as well.