Achieved 5G rollout obligations in all circles, ready for testing: Reliance Jio tells Govt

New Delhi: After months of 5G network rollout across the country, India's largest telco Reliance Jio has informed the government that it has achieved 5G rollout obligations in all circles, and is ready to be tested as per stipulated parameters.

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has sent out a communication to the Telecom Department (DoT) term cell informing them about rollouts achieved in all circles, according to sources who said that in the next step, the term cells will pick 10 per cent sites for testing.

Once the test results meet the required parameters, the certificate about completion of rollout obligation is issued, they explained.

Moreover, the telco -- which competes in the Indian telecom market with players like Bharti Airtel -- has successfully tested 5G services on bands of 26 GHz and 3300 MHz spectrum in Gujarat circle.

"Gujarat LSA conducted Phase I of 5G roll out testing in 26 GHz and 3300 MHz spectrum allocated to Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd," DoT's Gujarat wing said in a post on Twitter, now rebranded X.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha on July 26, Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan had said that the number of 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs or towers) by various telecom service providers totalled 2.81 lakhs as of July 7, 2023.

Chauhan also shared the operator-wise data for the same, which showed that Reliance Jio had 2,28,689 5G BTSs, Airtel had 53,223 BTSs, and Vodafone Idea (36) on the said date.

Put simply, 5G deployments usher dramatically improved speeds and lag-free videos, where applications range from connected ambulances to cloud gaming and even augmented reality-driven tryouts for shoppers.

The fifth generation or 5G services allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie on mobile and other devices in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas, or at mega events) and support a million devices in a square kilometre.

Superfast speeds (about 10 times faster than 4G), low latency connectivity, enabling billions of connected devices to share data in real-time, promises to unleash more-immersive entertainment, 3D hologram calling, metaverse experiences, and redefine educational applications, even the manner in which people play or watch sports.

The 5G subscription in India estimated at about 10 million by 2022-end, is seen accounting for about 57 per cent of mobile subscriptions in the country by the end of 2028, making it "the fastest growing" 5G region globally, Ericsson Mobility Report had said in June.

With the launch of 5G services in October 2022, the major 5G Indian market is witnessing huge network deployments under its Digital India initiative, it had observed.

The geopolitical challenges and macroeconomic slowdown in some markets notwithstanding, communications service providers globally are continuing to invest in 5G, the June 2023 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report revealed.

"5G subscriptions in India reached about 10 million by end of 2022 and are estimated to account for about 57 per cent of mobile subscriptions in the country by the end of 2028, making it the fastest growing 5G region globally," it had said.

The fifth-generation mobile subscriptions are growing in every region and are forecast to top 1.5 billion globally by the end of 2023.