Jio Platforms and US-based Qualcomm Technologies, which has taken a stake in the former, are fast-tracking the indigenous 5G network infrastructure and services thereby putting India in the exclusive club of nations that offer users speeds of 1 gigabyte per second (Gbps).
Jio Platforms and Qualcomm also announced that they achieved over a 1 Gbps milestone on the Jio 5GNR solution, leveraging the Qualcomm® 5G RAN (radio access networks) Platforms.
"This achievement not only supports Jio’s 5G credentials but also signifies the entry of Jio and India into the Gigabit 5G NR product portfolio," a joint press release from the companies said.
The development is in line with the words of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who announced in July that Jio was developing made-in-India 5G technology. “Jio has developed a complete 5G solution from scratch. This will enable us to launch a world class 5G service in India using a 100% homegrown technology and solution."
Qualcomm, it may be recalled, had invested Rs 730 crore ($97 million)for 0.15 per cent stake in Jio Platforms.
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New wave of demand for 5G services
5G technology will help users experience the benefits of higher data rates, low latency communications and enhanced digital experiences across a wide array of connected devices, from 5G-enabled smartphones to enterprise laptops to AR/VR products to vertical IOT solutions.
Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said, “We are excited about working with Qualcomm Technologies in developing new generation cloud native 5G RAN technology that is truly open and software defined.”
Durga Malladi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, said, "We recently achieved over a 1 Gbps milestone on the Reliance Jio 5G NR product, leveraging our Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms, and we look forward to expanding our efforts with Reliance Jio to enable flexible and scalable 5G RAN deployments.”
Rajen Vagadia, Vice President, Qualcomm India Private Limited and President, Qualcomm India, said, "We're delighted to enter a new phase in our longtime relationship with Reliance Jio, building on our shared vision for 5G and supporting the digital transformation of India. As the need for reliable, robust and powerful mobile experiences increases across India, we anticipate a new wave of demand for 5G services from both end users and enterprises, such as manufacturing, health care and retail.”
Augurs well for India
This indigenous network augurs well for India as it need not have to fall back on equipment from Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE. This development effectively shuts the doors on the companies from China in the 5G infrastructure market. With relationship between New Delhi and Beijing frosty now, the efforts of Jio and Qualcomm would be greatly welcomed by the powers that are.
As of now only the US, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland and Germany offer 1 Gbps speeds to 5G users.
India is likely to auction 5G airwaves in 2021.
Jio, in a tie-up with Google, is also planning to come up with 4G and 5G Android-based smartphones.
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