The details of the developments of its upcoming telecom venture, is what makes Reliance Industries’ annual report stand out from the rest.
The developments suggest that the company may soon roll out its telecom services. Analysts and investors are of the opinion that the exact date of its launch will be announced by its Chairman, Mukesh Ambaniduring the company’s annual general meeting which will be conducted on 12th June. They have predicted the launch date to be around mid-July.
The company, in its initial stage will offer the services to 22 million mobile phone numbers across India. It will be unveiling its physical infrastructure in 880 towns and cities of the country. It had earlier announced that Reliance Jio Infocomm will make an investment of Rs. 70,000 crores to set up its telecom business.
Efforts of Reliance Industries to launch its telecom business
Reliance Industries holds the largest amount of liberalized spectrum in the country. This enables the company to roll out its much awaited 4G and other telecommunication services in every corner of the country. It can also make use of any technology to offer the services without the need to obtain fresh permission everytime.
Reliance Jio bagged broadband wireless spectrum in 2010. It is yet to launch its service through this acquired spectrum. However, the company is in the last stage of preparations to offer its telecom services including voice calling, broadband internet with high-speed 4G and digital services in varied fields like financial service, education and healthcare.
The company is aggressively working to offer efficient 4G services across the country. Ambani informed this through a letter addressed to shareholders. The letter was a part of Reliance Industries’ 2014-15 annual report. He further added, “During the year, based on our acquisition of additional spectrum, we have emerged as the largest holder of liberalized spectrum in India. This will truly be a transformational initiative that will once again validate Reliance Industries’ ability to conceive and execute large projects across the country.”
Reliance Industries was the first company that made phone calls cheaper than postcards. Five years ago, Reliance Industries took over Infotel Broadband Services, a company which acquired broadband wireless spectrum in spectrum bands of 2300 MHz in all of the 22 telecom regions of the country. This was the indication that Reliance Industries will soon make a significant impact on other telecom businesses, with its re-entry in the market.
In March, this year, the company again suggested the same. It had participated in government’s spectrum sale to win additional spectrum bands. It bought airwaves in the spectrum bands of 800 MHz and 1800 MHz in 13 areas of the country. It spent Rs. 11,000 crores for the same.
Reliance Jio has strengthened its position by increasing its total equivalent spectrum footprint. Including both uplink and downlink, it holds 751.1 MHz which earlier was 597.6 MHz, the company mentioned in its annual report.
Summary
Reliance Jio will provide its service to 22 million mobile phone numbers, as a part of its first phase of roll out.