Reliance Jio finally rolls out 4G to employees in India, commercial launch in 2016

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, a subsidiary of India's largest private sector conglomerate — Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), announced the launch of its 4G service, which is only available for its employees at the moment.

The company claims that its legacy-free, next-generation voice and broadband network can be seamlessly upgraded even to 5G and beyond. It will be the only company in the world providing next-generation digital services over an end-to-end all-IP network.

At the launch event, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman – RIL, said:

Business should have a larger purpose - to serve society. Why Jio? Because life is going digital. 1.3 billion Indians cannot be left behind. This is our motivation for Jio. I want all of you to take 5 things back: digital life, connected intelligence, Jio life, Jio together and Jio celebration.

The limited launch was observed as part of Reliance Founder's Day weekend. The complimentary offer for group staff will continue until Jio launches its 4G services commercially next year, which is expected to be in either March or April next year. By throwing open Jio services to all its business partners, and its vast number of employees and their families spread all across India, RIL will work to iron out any wrinkles before launching all-India commercial services.

We have the youngest population in the world. Give them the tools. Give them the skills. Give them the environment. They will surprise us. It is this opportunity to transform the lives of our 1.3 billion Indians that motivated Reliance to enter this space. And Jio is the result. Jio will help advance and realize the potential of every Indian and India. I have no doubt that with the launch of Jio, India's rank will go up from around 150 to among the top ten in the next few years for internet and mobile broadband penetration.

In India, Airtel was the first carrier offering 4G services and has coverage in over 300 cities and towns already. However, Reliance Jio holds the biggest chunk of liberalized spectrum and is the first carrier to hold a unified license that gives the carrier ability to roll out 4G across the country. Apart from airwaves in the 2,300MHz band, the company has also accumulated airwaves in the 1,800MHz band and 800MHz band. Also, since Jio is a 4G-only network, the company is planning to support Voice over LTE (VoLTE).