India’s Jio tests 5G and aims to rid country of 2G networks

Indian digital services company Jio, a subsidiary of the Reliance industries Conglomerate, has begun tests for 5G in the country.

The tests saw throughputs of 1 Gbps achieved via 5G radio and smartphones integrated in Jio’s 5G core network.

Connecting India

In a press release, Shri Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited said: “India is today among the leaders driving the Digital Revolution in the world. In order to maintain this lead, Jio will continue to accelerate the rollout of its digital platforms and indigenously developed next generation 5G stack and make it affordable and available everywhere. Jio's 5G service will be a testimony to the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat [An economic development policy instituted by the country’s Prime Minister last year]. 

Jio operates with a focus on bringing digital services to the Indian Market, and has around 400 million subscribers in the country. The company’s digital ecosystem spans broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics artificial intelligence, the internet of things and more.

The end of 2G

“Jio is determined to make India 2G-mukt [free of 2G, the oldest mobile technology], thereby empowering every Indian to have an affordable smartphone and be a part of digital and data revolution,” continued Ambani. “We invite and encourage all stakeholders to work together to make world-class digital services available to every Indian consumer at the most affordable prices.”

The news came alongside the release of quarterly results, which saw a 15.5% increase in net profit, quarter on quarter. Meanwhile, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) grew 6.4% quarter on quarter. That comes on the back of India’s number of internet users growing significantly in recent years.

Last year, the company received significant backing from US chipmaker Intel’s capital investment arm, to the tune of $250mn - in exchange for a 0.39% stake.