Reliance Jio Infocomm is ready to roll out fiber-based broadband Internet in India, which will cover 900 cities and towns in the country.
The company has finalized its agreements with several key companies required for the roll-out. These companies include technology companies, infrastructure providers, device manufacturers and application developers. The company has also completed detailed plans for the implementation of the required infrastructure for the project.
"In addition to 4G wireless services, RJIL (Reliance Jio Infocomm) is rolling out high speed internet services via FTTx in over 900 cities/towns. The high-speed fiber connectivity will enable RJIL to provide a wide gamut of digital services across various sectors," the company said.
Reliance Jio is a unit of Reliance Industries, owned by Mukesh Ambani.
"The company aims to create a digital ecosystem which can be used to benefit the industry, the government and retail users. The key leadership talent required for the setting up of the business are in place and are currently leading the implementation phase," Reliance Industries said in the company's 2013-2014 annual report.
Reliance Jio said that it has started eight free Wi-Fi hotspots in Ahmedabad and nine more in Baroda and Surat, with over 55,000 unique devices using the high-speed internet since their launch. Users of these hotspots are given 72 hours of free use, after which they can extend the time of usage of the service through a reactivation process.
Until lately, fixed-line networks have not been drawing interest because the preferred mode for communication services was through mobile. However, with the increase in demand for data services and telecommunication, companies in India are realizing the need for high amounts of bandwidth, which pure wireless networks will not be able to provide.
Telecommunication companies are looking at optical fiber as the solution for the growing data capacity requirements of their users. Data will be sent through long distances over an optical fiber network and then routed to a wireless network right before the data reaches the user.
Once the roll-out of the fiber-based broadband network to the target 900 cities and towns is complete, it will be the biggest fiber-based operation by a private company in India. Bharti Airtel, the current market leader, only offers fiber-based broadband Internet in around 90 cities. State-operated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. is the only company that has a fixed-line network that spans the whole country, but the network is based on a combination of fiber and copper cables.
