Reliance Jio has installed its 5G network in 101 cities, since announcing the introduction of 5G. The operator asserts that its 5G network is exclusively accessible to users by invitation in 101 Indian cities, from Kochi to Ludhiana.
Reliance Jio reached this milestone on Thursday by expanding its 5G presence into six key Tamil Nadu cities: Coimbatore, Vellore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, and Hosur.
Jio has been deploying 5G services quickly in significant urban centers over the past three months, setting up a race for national 5G rollouts. Users across the country will be able to enjoy 5G thanks to Jio, which started announcing its deployments on October 4. However, access to these services is restricted to individuals who have been invited to join Jio’s “True 5G Network”.
The cities with operational 5G networks, according to Jio’s claims, include Delhi, Gurugram, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Agra, and many others.
On the other hand, Airtel, another Indian telecom company, has already set up its network in 30 cities and is also launching 5G services. As a result, Reliance Jio’s deployment is more widespread than Airtel’s in terms of geography.
However, comparing the deployment tactics of Jio and Airtel, according to industry insiders, is like comparing apples and oranges because both operators probably have different deployment techniques.
Moreover, analysts also contend that it is too soon to proclaim Jio the winner of the 5G race because Jio has not yet disclosed the number of unique users on its 5G networks.
An analyst told businessline on conditions of anonymity:
“We still don’t know the number of unique users on Jio’s 5G network. Nor are everyday users aware of the quality of the 5G services in these locations. This is because the operator invites users to test out its 5G network. In Airtel’s case, any operator with the right 5G enabled plan can access its 5G network in locations where it is available.”
Reliance Jio is most likely close to achieving its desired national coverage by December 2023 at this current pace of deployment. Top securities firms have monikered 2023 to be the “Year of 5G rollouts,” as CLSA notes in its report, “2023 is a year of 5G rollouts… Bharti, with 5G NSA, targets to cover 5,000 towns by March 2024, while Reliance Jio, with an SA 5G rollout, targets to reach pan India coverage by December 2023.”
