MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani today gave a clarion call to competitors saying that Reliance GigaFiber will bring about the same revolution in fixed line broadband as Reliance Jio had done with mobile data consumption making India the biggest mobile data consumers in the world.
Speaking at the India Mobile Congress being held in New Delhi today, Ambani said, “Jio is committed to building a deep-fibre network across the country and ensuring that every premise is connected with the highest quality network. All of us are proud that India has become the world’s largest mobile data consuming nation. We now have a similar opportunity to replicate this success in fixed broadband as well.”
When Reliance Industries announced the launch of JioGigaFiber, it was revealed the project would be rolled out in the shortest possible time. Additionally, RIL has acquired 58.92 per cent stake in Den Networks and 51.34 per cent in Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited, both MSOs.
“From day one JioGigaFiber will offer complete fixed-mobile convergence where Indians will travel seamlessly between mobile and fixed broadband network 4G and 5G when on the move and Wi-Fi when indoors,” Ambani added.
In the last two years, the Indian telecom sector has gone through a revolutionary change. In less than two years, India has moved from 155th rank in mobile broadband penetration to the top position. Now after 2G to 4g transformation, India is on the verge of experiencing 5G soon.
“By 2020, I believe that India will be a fully-4G country… and ready for 5G ahead of others. Every phone in India will be a 4G enabled phone and every customer will have access to 4G connectivity,” he said.
He also mentioned that digital connectivity can transform rural India comprehensively. According to statistics shared by him, as many as 50 million villagers have got affordable smartphones in the last eight months. Moreover, for many of them, this is the first radio and music player, TV, camera internet.
“This combination of connectivity with affordability is unparalleled in the world. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the government’s BharatNet program in providing high-quality connectivity in some of the remotest areas of our country. This transformation will accelerate as we get ready for a 5G world driven by the pro-active approach of the government,” he added.
The highly optimistic man thinks digital technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, internet of things, virtual reality and augmented reality will propel the entire economy of the country along with the fourth industrial revolution.
