Jio

Jio
Formerly called
  • Infotel Broadband Services Limited (2009 - 2013), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (2013 - 2015)
Public
Traded as Unlisted (as of March 2016)
Industry Telecommunications
Founded 2007 (2007)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Headquarters Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key people
 Sanjay Mashruwalla (Managing Director)
Jyotindra Thacker (Head of IT)
Akash Ambani (Chief of Strategy) [1]
Products
Owner Mukesh Ambani
Parent Reliance Industries
Subsidiaries LYF, Jio Chat, Jionet WiFi,
Website www.jio.com

Jio, also known as Reliance Jio and officially as Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL),[2] is an upcoming provider of mobile telephony, broadband services, and digital services in India. Formerly known as Infotel Broadband Services Limited, 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 were beta launched to Jio's partners and employees on December 27, 2015 on the eve of 83rd birth anniversary of late Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries. It will commercially launch its services in the second half of 2016.[5][6][7]

History

In June 2010, Reliance Industries (RIL) bought a 95% stake in Infotel Broadband Services Limited (IBSL) 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.[8] Later continuing as RIL's telecom subsidiary, Infotel Broadband Services Limited was renamed as Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) in January 2013.[9]

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$25 million) which was arbitrary and unreasonable, and contributed to a loss of ₹2284.2 crore (US$340 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]

Beta Launch

The 4G services were launched internally to Jio's partners, its staff and their families on December 27, 2015. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of Jio, kickstarted the launch event which took place in Reliance Corporate Park in Navi Mumbai, along with celebrities like musician A R Rahman, actors Ranbir Kapoor and Javed Jaffrey, and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani.[15] The closed event was witnessed by more than 35000 RIL employees some of whom were virtually connected from around 1000 locations including Dallas in the US.[16][17][18]

The company will commercially launch its services in the second half of 2016.

Products and Services

Reliance Jio 4G Broadband

The company will launch its 4G broadband services throughout India in the first quarter of 2016-2017 financial year.[19] It was slated to release in December 2015 after some reports said that the company was waiting to receive final permits from the government.[20] Mukesh Ambani, owner of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) whose Reliance Jio is the telecom subsidiary, had unveiled details of Jio's fourth-generation (4G) services on 12 June 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.[21]

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.[22] 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.

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.[23] 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.[24]

LYF Smartphones

Main article: LYF
For a list of LYF smartphones, see List of LYF Smartphones.

In June 2015, Jio 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,[25] in addition to the 4G wireless network.[26] However, in October 2015, Jio announced that it would be launching its own mobile handset brand named LYF.[27][28][29]

On 25 January 2016, the company launched its LYF smartphone series starting with Water 1, through its chain of electronic retail outlets, Reliance Retail.[30] Three more handset models have been released so far, namely Water 2,[31] Earth 1,[32] and Flame 1.[33][34] The prices of LYF handsets range from ₹6499 (US$97) to ₹24999 (US$370).

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,[35] Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain[36] in Madhya Pradesh, select locations of Mumbai in Maharashtra,[37] Kolkata in West Bengal,[38] Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh,[39] Bhubaneswar in Odisha,[40] Mussoorie in Uttarakhand,[41] Collectorate's Office in Meerut,[42] and at MG Road in Vijayawada[43] among others.

In March 2016, Jio started providing free Wi-Fi internet to spectators at six cricket stadiums hosting the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 matches. Jionet was made available in Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium (Mohali), Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (Dharamshala), Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), Feroz Shah Kotla (Delhi), and Eden Gardens (Kolkata) in India.[44]

Branding and Marketing

On December 24, 2015, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was appointed as Jio's brand ambassador.[45][46][47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mukesh Ambani's son Akash Ambani 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 Infocomm launches 4G services for employees, The Economic Times, December 27, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  6. ↑ Reliance Jio to launch 4G services for its employees today; SRK to host the mega event, The Indian Express, December 27, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  7. ↑ Reliance Jio to Launch 4G Services in Second Half of 2016: Mukesh Ambani, NDTV - Gadgets 360, 21 February 2016, retrieved 23 February 2016
  8. ↑ Reliance Industries buys 95% stake in IBnfotel Broadband for Rs 4,800 cr, The Economic Times Business Line
  9. ↑ RIL's Infotel Broadband renamed Reliance Jio Infocomm, The Times of India Business Line
  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 4G launch in 28 photos: Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Ambani family make the event memorable, CNN-IBN, December 27, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  16. ↑ Reliance Jio launches 4G service for employees, Business Standard, December 27, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  17. ↑ Reliance Jio 4G Services Launched for Reliance Employees, Gadgets 360 - NDTV, December 25, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  18. ↑ Reliance Jio employees to get freebies, discount on 4G service, Gadgets 360 - NDTV, December 25, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  19. ↑ Reliance Jio likely to delay its December pan-India launch, Live Mint
  20. ↑ Reliance Jio to launch commercial operations by December; to alter telecom industry landscape, say experts, The Economic Times
  21. ↑ Reliance to launch Jio by Dec, set to kick off pricing war, Business Standard
  22. ↑ Reliance Jio looking to partner local cable firms in broadband push, Livemint
  23. ↑ Pan India 2015 spectrum holding data sheet (updated), Telecom Talk, retrieved 30 November 2015
  24. ↑ Reliance Jio to share RCom spectrum in seven circles, The Hindu Business Line
  25. ↑ Reliance Jio to roll out broadband service on fibre across 900 cities, The Economic Times
  26. ↑ Intex ties up with Reliance Jio to supply 4G handsets, The Indian Express
  27. ↑ Reliance Retail to sell 4G smartphones under 'LYF' Brand, Economic Times
  28. ↑ Reliance Jio Unveiled A 4G Device Under Lyf Brand, Gizmodo - India, 10 January 2016, retrieved 10 February 2016
  29. ↑ Reliance Jio unveils low-cost 4G mobile phones LYF, The Financial Express, 8 January 2016, retrieved 10 February 2016
  30. ↑ RELIANCE JIO LYF WATER 1 LAUNCHED IN INDIA FOR RS. 14,999, Maktech, 7 February 2016, retrieved 9 February 2016
  31. ↑ Reliance’s LYF Water 2 Goes Official in India: specifications, features, price and availability, GSM Insider, 9 February 2016, retrieved 10 February 2016
  32. ↑ Lyf Earth 1 Price, Specifications, Features, Digit, 1 February 2016, retrieved 10 February 2016
  33. ↑ Singh, Saurabh (27 January 2016), Reliance Jio's Lyf Earth 1, Water 1 & Water 2 phones listed online, prices start at Rs.14,690, India Today, retrieved 10 February 2016
  34. ↑ Reliance Lyf Flame 1 vs Xiaomi Redmi 2 vs Coolpad Note 3 Lite, TechRadar - India, 10 February 2016, retrieved 10 February 2016
  35. ↑ Reliance Jio offers strategic Wi-Fi hotspot free services to increase user base, Mobiletor
  36. ↑ Pereira, Jonathan (December 20, 2015), Reliance Jio launches Jionet high-speed free Wi-Fi service in Indore, MobiGyaan, retrieved December 22, 2015
  37. ↑ Reliance Jio launches unlimited free WiFi in Mumbai for Ganesh Utsav, The Indian Express
  38. ↑ Reliance Jio Introduces Free Public Wifi in Kolkata, How to Use Jionet Wifi ?, Telecom Talk
  39. ↑ Reliance Jio launches free Wi-Fi service in Lucknow's Hazratganj, The Economic Times - Telecom
  40. ↑ Reliance Jio Launches 4G Wi-Fi Internet Service in Bhubaneswar, Gadgets 360
  41. ↑ Mussoorie, the First Hill Station to receive Reliance Jio’s Wi-Fi Service, Reliance News
  42. ↑ Reliance Jio to offer free 4G-backed WiFi service at Meerut Collectorate, The Economic Times
  43. ↑ Reliance Jio rolls out wi-fi service at MG Road in Vijayawada, The Times of India, 11 January 2016, retrieved 12 January 2016
  44. ↑ "T20 World Cup 2016: Free unlimited Wi-Fi at 6 stadiums, courtesy Reliance Jio".
  45. ↑ Bhupta, Malini (December 25, 2015), SRK is brand ambassador of Reliance Jio, Business Standard, retrieved December 29, 2015
  46. ↑ Shah Rukh Khan is Reliance Jio's brand ambassador, Brand Equity - The Economic Times, December 26, 2015, retrieved December 29, 2015
  47. ↑ Mukherjee, Promit (December 24, 2015), Reliance Jio ropes in Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassador, Livemint, retrieved December 29, 2015

External links

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