Reliance Jio Infocomm has begun providing its high-speed Wi-Fi Jionet services to consumers at MG Road in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The telecom operator is currently in the process of preparing for its pan-India commercial 4G launch.
The Jionet Wi-Fi platform was launched at MG Road by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The brand had introduced the service in locations like Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Lucknow’s Hazratganj market last year. The service provider claims it can deliver 4G network speeds to users.
Reliance Jio had rolled out its LTE platform for free in December. The offering is restricted to its 1 lakh employees right now, with the network company set to release it commercially by roughly March or April this year. An earlier report by Credit Suisse had found that the service’s speed had peaked at 70Mbps but remained constant at the 15 to 30Mbps range for the most part.
The document had reasoned that the fast download rates could be attributed to the low number of people using the 4G network at the time, with speeds most likely taking a nosedive when it’s officially launched and has more people utilizing it. The researchers also noted that Reliance’s urban coverage was at the same level as its rivals, but did not come up to the mark when it came to rural areas.
Also See: Reliance Jio 4G may threaten Airtel, Vodafone premium market share
Reliance Jio will have to face off against a number of competitors when it finally arrives on the scene. Contenders such as Idea Cellular, Aircel, Airtel and Vodafone have already launched its own 4G services in India. Brokerage firm CLSA had previously stated that Reliance may pose a serious threat to last two by poaching away its premium high-spending data customers.