Mobile Services
Reliance Jio was seeded by daughter Isha in 2011: Mukesh Ambani
MUMBAI: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s telecom venture Jio, which catapulted India as the world’s largest mobile broadband data consuming nation in less than two years, was first seeded by his daughter, Isha, in 2011.
This was revealed by Ambani, the richest Indian, in his acceptance speech last night after his oil-to-telecom conglomerate, Reliance Industries was presented with the ‘Drivers of Change’ award at the Financial Times ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards.
Since the idea first cropped up, Reliance, which owns and operates the world’s largest single location refinery complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, has spent more than $31 billion to break into India’s mobile-phone market.
The 2016 upstart, called Jio, dislodged rivals and has emerged as the nation’s No. 4 carrier by offering call services free for life and data transmission at dirt cheap rates.
Jio is also gearing up for newer data-heavy services that can connect homes, businesses, and cars to the internet. Ambani said with super-abundant youthful talent, India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world by 2028 — within just a single decade.
“The idea of Jio was first seeded by my daughter, Isha, in 2011. She was a student at Yale (in the US) and was home for holidays. She wanted to submit some coursework – and she said, ‘Dad, the internet in our house sucks’,” he recalled.
Ambani said Isha’s twin brother, Akash, at that time stated that in the old world, telecom was voice and people made money on calls but in the new world everything is digital.
“Isha and Akash belong to India’s young generation that is far more creative, far more ambitious and far more impatient to become the best in the world. These young Indians convinced me that broadband internet is the defining technology of our age and India cannot be left behind,” he said.
India at the time was suffering from poor connectivity and a severe scarcity of the most critical digital resource – data. Data was not only scarce, but it was priced artificially high to make it unaffordable to a majority of Indians, he said.
Jio transformed all of this by making data abundant and affordable and available in every part of the country. “We launched Jio in September 2016. And today Jio has already become the biggest game changer in India,” he said.
Ambani said while the United States pioneered 1G mobile network, Europe ushered in 2G, and China leapfrogged with 3G, Jio has created the largest greenfield 4G LTE-only data network in the world. “This will make India a leader in 4G in 2019,” he said.
“It took the combined Indian telecom industry 25 years to build a pan-India 2G network. Jio took just three years to build a 4G LTE network, which is much larger and far more advanced. And it is also 5G-ready today.”
Jio has made voice-calling free for life and has also made high-quality data available at the lowest price in the world – at almost one-tenth the prices in the US, he said, and the firm acquired more than 100 million customers in just 170 days of launch.
This was more than one-and-a-half times the population of the United Kingdom. For the 500 million Indians still using a feature phone and not a smartphone, Jio brought out the “world’s most affordable 4G LTE smartphone” that is available for free for use with a deposit of Rs1,500, he said.
“The result has been stunning: 3 lakh to 5 lakh Indians are daily migrating to Jio Phone. And for the same Rs200-300, they benefit through access to the high-speed internet with their existing voice needs are completely free.”
As the internet becomes accessible to all Indians, the country will be among the first to graduate to the Internet of Everything, he said.
“Within the next few years, Jio will empower the equivalent of two-thirds of Europe’s population to enjoy world-class digital services in India,” he said, adding because of Jio, India has jumped from the rank of 155 to number one in the world in mobile broadband data consumption in less than two years. “Jio has already grown to be the biggest start-up in India’s history,” he said.
The previous honorees for the ‘Drivers of Change’ award include DeepMind Technologies (2016), FANUC (2015), HBO (2014), Alibaba (2013), MONDRAGON Corporation (2012), Amazon (2011), Apple (2010), Fiat (2009) and Ryanair (2008).
RIL won it for its “exceptional commitment to innovation-led, exponential growth within the areas of hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and 4G digital services.”
Stating that his late father Dhirubhai Ambani was the original ‘Driver of Change’ in India’s business history, he said the legendary industrialist founded Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) in 1966 with a meager capital of Rs1,000 (about $130 at that time). RIL, which today is an over $50 billion group, has doubled shareholder money every two-and-half years since its initial public offering (IPO) in 1977, he said. “During the same period, Reliance has contributed more to India’s national wealth than any other business group.”
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-fast 5G services in 125 cities. Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country.
Airtel 5G Plus has three compelling advantages for customers. First, it runs on a technology that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem. This ensures that all 5G smartphones in India seamlessly work on the Airtel network. Second, the company promises to deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect. Finally, Airtel 5G Plus network will also be kinder to the environment with its special power reduction solution. Powered by the reliable Airtel network infrastructure, Airtel 5G Plus will provide superfast access to High-Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos et all.
Commenting on the launch, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel said, “5G has revolutionized the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country. At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today. Airtel was the first in the country to offer 5G services in October 2022, and today’s mega launch is our promise to connect every Airtel customer in the country with ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus. Our 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024.”
Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to rapidly expand – including service in all towns and villages in the country soon – as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.
In the last one year, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.
NEW DELHI: Apple Inc has rolled out a beta programme to enable 5G on Apple devices as the upgrade lets users try out pre-release software.
This software upgrade enables 5G access on Apple devices, as and when service providers Jio, Airtel and Vodafone enable 5G network access, sources said.
Apple Users have to enrol for the Beta Programme on the website, install a profile and download the software.
Jio users using iPhone 12 and above, in cities where JioTrue5G has been rolled out, will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer. Jio Welcome Offer provides unlimited 5G data at up to 1 Gbps speed to users at no additional cost. However, there is a condition that prepaid users must be on active Rs 239 and above plan. All Postpaid users are eligible for this trial.
Airtel is not providing any special 5G offer like Jio to their users. In the cities/areas in which the Airtel 5G network has been launched, users can trial 5G services as a part of their existing plan, once they have updated the latest Apple Beta software.
While an email sent to Apple did not solicit an immediate response, the firm had last month stated: “We are working with our carrier partners in India to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance is completed. 5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December”.
Airtel and Jio customers on iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE (3rd generation) models can experience 5G as part of Apple’s iOS 16 Beta Software Program. The Apple Beta Software Program is open to anyone with a valid Apple ID who accepts the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement during the sign-up process.
If a user has an iCloud account, that is an Apple ID, it is recommended they use that. If they do not have an iCloud account or any other Apple ID, they can create one.
Customers who want to try the beta software should back up their iPhones before installing the beta software. It is recommended to install the beta software only on non-production devices that are not business-critical. Users can also provide feedback to Apple on quality and usability, which helps Apple identify issues, fix them, and make Apple software even better.
The iOS beta comes with the built-in Feedback Assistant app, which can be opened from the Home screen on the iPhone or iPad or from the Dock on the Mac.
Source: Press Trust of India
5g
Nokia wins multi-year deal with Reliance Jio India to build one of the largest 5G networks in the world
NEW DELHI: Nokia has announced that it has been selected as a major supplier by Reliance Jio to supply 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio countrywide in a multi-year deal. Reliance Jio is India’s number one mobile operator and has one of the largest RAN footprints in the world.
Under the contract, Nokia will supply equipment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software. Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G network. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low-latency.
Akash Ambani, Chairman Reliance Jio, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Nokia for our 5G SA deployment in India. Jio is committed to continuously investing in the latest network technologies to enhance the experience of all of its customers. We are confident that our partnership with Nokia will deliver one of the most advanced 5G networks globally.”
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO at Nokia stated: “This is a significant win for Nokia in an important market and a new customer with one of the largest RAN footprints in the world. This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services, enabled by our industry-leading AirScale portfolio. We are proud that Reliance Jio has placed its trust in our technology and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them.”
Nokia has a long-standing presence in India. This new deal will mean that Nokia is now supplying India’s three largest mobile operators.
