Reliance Jio 5G strategy will be difficult

5G in India is expected to launch sometime next year, once the spectrum auction takes place. Ookla CEO Doug Suttles noted that Jio’s strategy for 5G in India is difficult as it has not been done before. For 5G in India, Jio will opt for the Open RAN route and build its own infrastructure. According to Suttles, it will be an advantage over time. He also noted that Jio’s strategy could cost the company less money, which it would set up through software.

“We do see the whole wireless world going that way in the future so this is just them trying to push the cutting-edge tech early to manage the network through software and the cloud, hopefully with full automation. It should be far less expensive over time, but it’s also challenging to get something like that in the market,” Suttes told The Financial Express.

Suttes told the publication that 5G would bring hundreds of Megabits or even Gigabits at low latency. He noted that the low latency side is important for Ookla, the company behind Speed Test as it would want to see pings that are sub 10 milliseconds and that’s not there yet even in the US.”

Last year, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said that unit Jio had developed its own 5G technology, which supports faster mobile connectivity. “Once Jio’s 5G solution is proven at India-scale, Jio Platforms would be well-positioned to be an exporter of 5G solutions to other telecom operators globally, as a complete managed service,” Ambani had said.

Jio has in the past stated that the technology has marked 1Gbps speed in the initial testing. Jio is also working on developing its own MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Out Put) technologies and 5G small-scale equipment which bolsters network speed and range of coverage. The digital arm of Reliance is also venturing into IoT (Internet of Things) smart home solutions, and services in retail, health and education.

Earlier this year, the Indian telecom operators informed the Department of Telecommunications that the Indian 5G standard, 5Gi, does not have a device ecosystem and that it should be considered optional and non-mandatory for the industry. They noted that making the standard mandatory would increase prices of smartphones. A Jio representative urged the department to avoid mandating any requirements for consumer devices for spectrum features, it was reported earlier.

Meanwhile, Airtel and Ericsson conducted India’s first 5G network demonstration in a rural area. The demonstration took place in Bhaipur Bramanan village on the outskirts of Delhi/NCR using a 5G trial spectrum allocated to Airtel by the DoT. The spectrum auctions can take place in the coming months, and as per Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon, and the 5G networks can go live within two-quarters of the auction. India Today