Reliance Jio to launch 4G on 27 December

Reliance Jio Infocomm, the wireless arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), will launch 4G operations on 27 December.

The 4G services, which include video streaming, music streaming, money payments and video calling, will be initially available exclusively to Reliance group employees.

27 december has been chosen for launch the services as it is the eve of its founder chairman Dhirubhai Ambani's birth anniversary. The company has sent out e-mails to all its employees inviting them along with their spouses to be part of the launch event.

"We want every member of our Reliance family to participate either in person or virtually through a Jio telecast beamed live to more than 1,000 locations in India," the e-mail said.

The e-mail signed by RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani, reveals that the launch event will start at 5.30 pm at the Reliance Corporate Park which will be live telecast to 1,000 locations across the country.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is the host to the grand evening, while music composer A R Rahman is expected to perform at the launch.

The company is expected to partially launch services on 27 December, while a fully commercial launch is expected to happen only in March-April 2016.

In April last year, RJIL signed a tower sharing agreement with independent infrastructure provider ATC India. RJIL will utilise about 11,000 towers under the agreement as it gears upto launch its services across the country.

RJIL had earlier entered into similar agreements with Bharti Infratel, Viom Networks and Reliance Communications(RCom). The company has also signed an inter-city optical fibre sharing agreement with RCom in April 2013 as part of a comprehensive framework of business co-operation between the companies.

The company had bought 4G airwaves in the 2010 spectrum auction. In February, RJIL won spectrum in the 1800 MHz brand across 14 circles for Rs11,054 crore, which the company intends to use for digital services and enhance in-building coverage.