Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Jio, declared at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet – 2024 that Jio has successfully completed the fastest rollout of 5G globally in December, 2023. Despite the claim, the official website still shows outdated figures, stating 5G availability in 7,764 cities and towns.
Ambani informed that Jio has opted for the 5G SA (standalone architecture), surpassing the conventional 5G NSA (non-standalone architecture) in various aspects. The telecom juggernaut leads the 5G rollout in India with an extensive deployment of 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), ensuring unparalleled coverage and connectivity.
Tamil Nadu has also emerged as a focal point for Jio’s strategic investments, with over Rs 35,000 crore allocated to enhance network connectivity for the state’s 35 million subscribers.
Ambani emphasised, “Jio has invested over Rs 35,000 crores in Tamil Nadu, bringing the fruits of the digital revolution to 35 million subscribers in every town and village in the state.”
In a move to fortify its technological infrastructure, Reliance has collaborated with Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management and US-based Digital Reality. Together, they are set to unveil a data centre next week, representing a significant stride towards fostering advanced digital capabilities.
Jio continues to offer its 5G service for free to customers subscribing to the Rs 239 plan or higher. Both prepaid and postpaid mobile users can claim this offer through the MyJio app on their smartphones. However, the telecom giant hasn’t given an exact date for the end of this complementary 5G offering.
With the thriving rollout of 5G in India, Reliance Jio is also focusing towards the development of an indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) model named ‘Bharat GPT.’ In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Jio aims to create a homegrown AI solution. Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, talked about this ambitious initiative at Techfest, the annual science and technology festival of IIT Bombay.
