Soon, Reliance Jio could bundle 5G with its own smartphones
What's the story
Reliance Jio, India's third largest telecom giant, is gearing up to make 5G - the future of mobile connectivity - mainstream.
The company, according to a report in Financial Chronicle, is working to introduce 5G services with its own set of 5G-ready smartphones.
And, most importantly, it plans to make it all happen by April 2020.
Here's more on its work.
Jio's plan
Jio to replicate 4G model for 5G services
Speaking to people familiar with Jio's 5G plan, Financial Chronicle has learned that the telco plans to launch 5G services in conjunction with dedicated 5G devices.
This would be similar to the company's 4G model, but in this case, 5G phones would be offered just when Jio's 5G services launch in the country.
It would immediately tackle the availability problem of 5G-ready phones.
Advantage
This would give Jio an edge over other players
In order to make the most of 5G services, Indians would need phones equipped with 5G modems - a problem Jio wants to solve.
Notably, the telco is already in talks with vendors to assemble 5G-ready devices, which would come at affordable prices.
This would give Jio an edge over other smartphone makers that are likely to offer 5G phones at higher prices.
Information
5G phones yet to go mainstream in India
5G phones are not yet available for sale, neither in India nor in other markets. However, it's expected that giants like Samsung and Xiaomi will jump on the bandwagon of 5G in coming months with phones that will at least cost Rs. 25,000.
Timeline
Still, timeline remains a point of question
Jio's bundle of 5G phones and services could be a turning point in the telecom industry.
However, it is important to note that the timeline could change if things don't go as planned.
Basically, the possibility of April roll-out stands if spectrum auction takes place in June-July of this year and equipment testing and ecosystem development is completed around January 2020.