Jio's 4G network allows it to expand to 5G at lower incremental cost than others, Ambani said
India is predicted to have 88 Mn 5G connections by 2025
Spectrum allocation in India for the 5G network is being done through the usual auction process
When Reliance Jio launched its 4G mobile and data services, it became India’s sole 4G-only telecom provider. While the rest of the market had to support legacy infrastructure for customers on 2G and 3G networks, Reliance Jio was unburdened by such expectations and could focus on creating an infrastructure network that’s geared towards the 4G and next-gen network, including 5G services. According to Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani, the core and aggregation layers of Jio’s network has been 5G ready since day one, so the telco is ready to launch 5G faster than others.
Speaking at the company’s AGM, Ambani said that because of Jio’s approach at the time of launch to not focus on legacy networks, the implementation of 5G can be done at a minimal cost to the company. On the other hand, the adoption of next-gen 5G networks is likely to be a huge capital burden on rival telcos who are already reeling from underwhelming revenue in the light of Reliance Jio’s highly aggressive pricing over the past couple of fiscal years.