Let's explore the key highlights in this recap of the week's top tech news, featuring seven key stories.
The Nothing Phone (2a) will be manufactured in India by UK-based tech company Nothing, led by CEO Carl Pei, who showed excitement for the Indian market.
Apple's Vision Pro received mixed feedback due to concerns about comfort, price, and user experience, prompting Apple to investigate and address customer issues.
Leaked details about GTA 6, including new features like gore, dual wielding, and a basketball game mode sparked excitement among gamers awaiting official announcements.
Reliance Industries' collaboration with BharatGPT group aims to launch 'Hanooman,' an AI service developed with Indian Institutes of Technology, catering to various sectors and languages.
Google plans to produce Pixel smartphones in India to tap into the country's vast consumer base, expand market presence, and streamline logistics.
Elon Musk criticised Google's Gemini AI, accusing it of displaying racist tendencies, leading Google to pause certain features of the chatbot.
The shutdown of the social media platform 'X' in Pakistan sparked criticism from digital rights activists, prompting the Sindh High Court to intervene and demand restoration of services.
In this event, one of the notable tech showcases was the Jio Glass.
The Jio Glass is a pair of smart glasses designed to connect with your smartphone and transform its content into a virtual 100-inch screen, according to a report by Indian Express.
This innovative tech product is created by Tesseract, a tech startup company owned by Reliance Industries Limited.
The company's primary focus is Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, with a range of products including cameras, headsets, and smart glasses.
The Jio Glass is their flagship product, aligning with the 'Make in India' vision.
According to the Indian Express report, the Jio Glass is impressively lightweight, tipping the scales at only 69 grams.
It features a sleek metallic grey frame with two lenses, giving it a futuristic appearance.
These lenses can seamlessly switch between AR and VR modes by attaching or detaching a removable flap that conceals your eyes behind a cool chrome finish. It also creates a unique visual experience.
When the flap is attached, the glasses block out the outside world, and when it is removed, you can see the real world with an augmented reality overlay.
The Jio Glass boasts a 1080p display for each eye, effectively providing a virtual 100-inch screen.
It also incorporates two speakers on the sides, comfortably resting on top of your ears. To function, these glasses need to be connected to a smartphone using a Type-C cable, which also serves as a power source.
Regarding additional features, availability, and pricing, the details are currently undisclosed, as the company has not made an official announcement regarding these aspects.
The streaming service provider Jio Cinema plans to compete with major players like Amazon Prime Video and Disney+Hotstar by charging viewers for its content.
According to reports, the company will soon add over 100 new movies and web series to its platform.
However, the IPL 2023 match of the year, scheduled for May 28, 2023, will still be available for free on Jio Cinema. It is only after this that the company will start charging viewers for its content.
Jyoti Deshpande, the company's media President, recently revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that Jio Cinema plans to expand its offerings beyond cricket broadcasts.
Deshpande said that the move is aimed at challenging other players in the competitive Indian market and that the exact pricing structure for Jio Cinema's content is yet to be finalized.
The move is expected to boost the company's revenue and strengthen its position in the streaming industry.
It will also allow Jio Cinema to offer more options for its viewers. However, rest assured that you can still enjoy the matches for free on the platform.
Apart from streaming IPL 2023 matches for free, Jio has also launched cricket plans with 3GB of data per day, as well as additional data add-on packs and special vouchers.
The new Cricket Add-On packs are meant to help people who enjoy watching IPL 2023 matches live on their devices without having to worry about running out of data.
These packs will ensure that users can keep streaming the matches without any interruptions.
Initially, the 5G services are available in Twin Cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. As assured by Vaishnaw, the services will soon be available in the remaining parts of Odisha soon,
At present Jio and Airtel are providing the 5G network in Odisha. The telecom majors have already clarified to the users that their network connectivity will be automatically upgraded t0 5G from 4G once the service is available in their area.
Users will not have to buy a new SIM to use 5G, Jio and Airtel have clarified.
It is claimed that the 5G network will be around 20-30 times faster than the 4G connection. At present the telecom service providers are offering 5G services at no cost as part of the welcome offer.
How to change your Android mobile’s setting for 5G connectivity
Oppo
Open Settings> Connection & Sharing> Tap on SIM 1 or SIM 2> Preferred network type> Select 2G/3G/4G/5G (automatic)
Vivo/iQoo
Open Settings> Tap on SIM 1 or SIM 2> Mobile network> Network Mode> Choose the 5G mode
Xiaomi/Poco
Open Settings> SIM card and mobile networks> Preferred network type> Choose Prefer 5G
Realme
Open Settings> Connection & Sharing> Tap on SIM 1 or SIM 2> Preferred network type> Select 2G/3G/4G/5G (automatic)
OnePlus
Open Settings> Wi-Fi & networks> SIM & Network> Preferred network type> Select 2G/3G/4G/5G (automatic)
According to industry experts, one thing is certain: You need a 5G-enabled handset in your pocket to enjoy high-speed internet to stream movies or play games.
"At the SIM level, there may not be a need to change as of now as telecom service providers will upgrade the SIM from the back-end to enable it for 5G services. A 4G SIM can surely work in 5G-powered phones," Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak told IANS.
However, a 5G-enabled smartphone is a must to avail high-speed internet and other services.
Reliance Jio said on Tuesday that invited 'Jio Welcome Offer' users in four cities -- Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi -- will be automatically upgraded to the Jio True 5G service "without needing to change their existing Jio SIM or 5G handset".
Jio said it is also working with all handset brands to enable their 5G handsets to work seamlessly with Jio True 5G services so that customers have the most comprehensive range of 5G devices to choose from.
It also means that more than 500 million smartphone users in India will have to purchase 5G-ready handsets going forward.
India will soon have close to 100 million 5G-enabled smartphone users.
In any case, millions of these users will have to wait till late 2023 or early 2024 to enjoy 5G on their devices but they do need 5G-capable devices.
According to Airtel, a 4G SIM can work in 5G-powered phones. However, you also need to keep in mind that you wouldn't be able to leverage the 5G capabilities to the fullest.
"To enjoy the 5G network to its maximum potential, you would be required to have a 5G SIM with a 5G phone. Despite all that, your 4G SIM will surely provide you with better connectivity and transmission when used with 5G phones," according to the company.
You must have a device that is compatible with 5G networks. Today, when 5G services are about to be implemented, most phone companies have already launched 5G-enabled smartphones in the market with modems and built-in hardware to support 5G technology.
Will a 5G SIM work on a 4G-enabled smartphone?
The answer is yes. However, there is a catch to it.
"While a 5G SIM card can be used in 4G mobile, it would still be providing you with 4G networks as one of the major requirements to use the 5G technology is having a 5G-powered device," according to the Airtel FAQ.
If your phone is not 5G-enabled, it will not be able to access 5G networks and hence, you wouldn't be able to enjoy the blazing fast speed and connectivity of the 5G network.
As the True-5G network is getting ready in these metro cities, Jio’s 'Welcome Offer' will enable its invited customers to trial the services, and provide service and user-experience feedback.
With over 425 million users, Jio’s mission with 5G is to speed up India’s transformation into a Digital Society. This connectivity and technology will help serve humanity by bettering lives and providing increased livelihood, the company said in an official release.
With the True-5G services, Jio aims to bring transformational changes across education, healthcare, agriculture, skill development, small, medium, and large enterprises among others.
- It has advanced 5G network with zero dependency on 4G network
- Powerful functionalities like low latency, massive machine-to-machine communication, 5G voice, edge computing, and network slicing
- Far superior to 4G-based non-standalone networks being launched by other operators
- The Welcome Offer is being launched in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Varanasi for Jio users, by invitation
- These customers will get Unlimited 5G data with up to 1 Gbps+ speeds
- The Beta trial service for other cities will be announced progressively as cities keep getting ready
- Users will continue to avail of this Beta trial until the network coverage of a city is substantially complete to provide the best coverage and user experience to every customer
- Invited ‘Jio Welcome Offer’ users will be automatically upgraded to the Jio True 5G service without needing to change their existing Jio SIM or 5G handset
Addressing the sixth edition of Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ambani said that Jio will ensure that "every village will enjoy 5G services by December 2023, as Jio sets to begin the roll out of 5G.
Reliance Jio will roll out standalone 5G services in select cities in the country by Diwali. To build pan-India true 5G network, Jio has committed a total investment of Rs 2 lakh crore.
#5G is much more than the next generation of connectivity technology. To my mind,it's foundational technology that unlocks full potential of other 21st century technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Robotics, Blockchain & Metaverse: Mukesh Ambani, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/0TWstYctRV
— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2022
To begin with, Jio will launch 5G services in four metro cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
These will be expanded to other cities and towns in phases rapidly to cover the entire country by December 2023.
"Jio 5G services will connect everyone, every place and everything with the highest quality and affordability. We are committed to making India a data-powered economy even ahead of China and the US," said Ambani.
Jio 5G will be the world's largest and most advanced 5G network. Unlike other operators, Jio's 5G network will be stand alone with zero dependency on 4G network.
The three-fold advantage of standalone 5G architecture, largest and best mix of spectrum and Carrier Aggregation technology means that Jio 5G will be able to offer an unparalleled combination of coverage, capacity, quality and affordability.
With standalone 5G, Jio can deliver new and powerful services like low latency, massive machine-to-machine communication, 5G voice, Edge computing and network slicing, and metaverse.
To begin with, Jio announced the launch of 5G services in four metro cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
These will be expanded to other cities and towns in phases rapidly to cover the entire country by December 2023.
At the 'Reliance AGM 2022', Mukesh Ambani said it will be 'world's largest', 'standalone' Jio 5G services.
"Jio 5G services will connect everyone, every place and everything with the highest quality and affordability. We are committed to making India a data-powered economy even ahead of China and the US," said Muksesh Ambani.
Jio 5G will be the world's largest and most advanced 5G network. Unlike other operators, Jio's 5G network will be stand alone with zero dependency on 4G network.
The three-fold advantage of standalone 5G architecture, largest and best mix of spectrum and Carrier Aggregation technology means that Jio 5G will be able to offer an unparalleled combination of coverage, capacity, quality and affordability.
With standalone 5G, Jio can deliver new and powerful services like low latency, massive machine-to-machine communication, 5G voice, Edge computing and network slicing, and metaverse.
Jio has indigenously developed an end-to-end 5G stack, which is fully cloud native, software defined, digitally managed with support for even advanced features like Quantum Security.
With 5G, Jio will launch billions of smart sensors with connected intelligence that will trigger Internet of Things (IoT) and fuel the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It will connect every-one, every-place and every-thing with the highest quality and most affordable data.
Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said that Jio true 5G will deliver breakthrough increases in broadband speed and drastically lowers latency.
The announcement is in line with the government which expects affordable 5G services to be rolled out in the country by October 12.
Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that installations are being done and telecom operations are busy with the seamless rollout of 5G services.
The government will ensure that the 5G plans remain affordable for the public.
Just like 3G and 4G, telcos will soon announce dedicated 5G tariff plans and according to industry experts, consumers may pay more to access the 5G services on their devices.
However, the tariff plans will come down as usage increases, and more people embrace 5G networks especially in Metros where the initial demand will come.
An immediate tariff war with the launch of 5G is unlikely, but it "will be competitive as India continues to be a price-conscious market".
5G airwaves worth Rs 1,50,173 crore has been sold so far and the final tally is being prepared by the government, according to sources.
Day six of the 5G spectrum auction on Sunday saw an incremental increase in the bidding figure after 37 rounds, with bids worth Rs 1,50,130 crore.
According to industry analysts, Reliance Jio has placed bids for more than Rs 84,500 crore, while Airtel's bids are worth more than Rs 46,500 crore.
Vodafone Idea has placed bids of around Rs 18,500 crore, while a unit of Adani Enterprises has bids of around Rs 5,000 crore.
Jio and Airtel were fiercely engaged in intense bidding in Uttar Pradesh East circle for the 1800MHz band.
Devroop Dhar, Co-founder and board member, Primus Partners, said the auction stands testimony to the fact that the industry is willing and ready to expand further than ever before.
"That is also the reason behind the key players finally going for the 700MHz bands. The 40 per cent cut down of the bands for Rs 3,927 crore per unit acted as an aid for the bidders," Dhar said.
The expansive 700MHz band is built to cover densely populated regions such as India, which will truly benefit from this band and receive expansive 5G coverage.
"As the bidding has been much higher than the previous auctions, the amount generated will add positively to the revenue and will help the government in the future while setting up the 5G infrastructure," Dhar added.
While Reliance Jio may have an upper hand in terms of bundled handsets and their investments, other industry players also have an opportunity to compete in the industry as according to studies, Indian consumers claim to be willing to pay 50 per cent more for 5G-bundled plans.
"Hence, the companies need to find an incentive to get their customers upgrade to 5G devices," Dhar said.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expects 5G rollout by October this year.
The high interest for spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in Uttar Pradesh East circle saw Jio and Airtel locked in intense bidding on Wednesday and Thursday, sustaining the tempo and stretching the auction timelines beyond initial expectations.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and a unit of billionaire Gautam Adani's flagship Adani Enterprises are in the race to bid for a 5G spectrum that offers speeds about 10 times faster than 4G, lag-free connectivity and can enable billions of connected devices to share data in real-time.
After a flying start on Tuesday that saw players pouring in Rs 1.45 lakh crore on day one, the numbers inched up incrementally over Wednesday and Thursday.
Bidding activities resumed on Friday with the 17th round.
Bids worth Rs 1,49,623 crore were received in 16 rounds of bidding till Thursday.
A total of 72 GHz (gigahertz) of radiowaves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore is on the block.
The auction is being held for spectrum in various low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz), mid (3300 MHz) and high (26 GHz) frequency bands.
In addition to powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), Fifth Generation or 5G would enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, among others.
The 5G smartphone shipment share reached 29 per cent of overall shipments in the second quarter (Q2), which was the highest ever.
"The 5G spectrum auction and commercial availability will accelerate 5G smartphone adoption among users," said research analyst Shilpi Jain.
The government has reached new heights in introducing the 5G technology with an auction of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore for 5G spectrum.
India's total smartphone installed base crossed 600 million (60 crore) during the April-June quarter as shipments grew 9 per cent (on-year) but fell 5 per cent (on-quarter) to reach almost 37 million units, according to latest research from Counterpoint's Market Monitor service.
The annual growth was primarily driven by a lower base in Q2 2021 due to the second Covid-19 wave.
The quarterly drop was due to macroeconomic headwinds affecting consumer demand.
"Consumers are preferring to repair their device or buy a refurbished one rather than make a new purchase. This trend is more visible in the entry and budget segments. Due to this decline in demand, almost all the brands are facing inventory issues," said senior research analyst Prachir Singh.
At the end of June, India's smartphone market was sitting on more than 10 weeks of inventory, more than double the normal inventory size.
Apple grew 63 per cent (on-year) in Q2 driven by a smaller base in Q2 2021 due to the Covid second wave. It remained the top-selling brand in the ultra-premium segment.
"The opening of its own e-store, iPhone SE 2022 and offers on other models will further drive Apple's shipments in the coming quarters," the report mentioned.
The smartphone retail ASP (average selling price) grew 10 per cent driven by an increasing share of the higher price segments.
India's overall mobile handset market grew 6 per cent (on-year) but fell 9 per cent on quarterly basis.
The feature phone market registered a decline of 17 per cent primarily due to the decline in consumer demand, the report mentioned.
Firms run by tycoons Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Gautam Adani as well as Vodafone Idea are participating in the e-auction to buy fifth-generation (5G) airwaves.
The government received confirmed spectrum bids worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore after the completion of four rounds of spectrum bidding on the opening day on Tuesday.
Analysts said Ambani's Reliance Jio may be the most aggressive of those in the race.
Though details of the bids are not announced as yet, ICICI Securities said its analysis shows that Jio has likely bid for the highest spectrum worth Rs 80,100 crore, and likely opted for 10MHz spectrum in the premium 700MHz band.
Bharti Airtel may have bid for spectrum worth Rs 45,000 crore, spending 20 per cent more than expected, possibly in 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands.
Vodafone Idea Ltd has likely bid for Rs 18,400 crore for spectrum, while Adani Data Networks should have picked 26GHz spectrum pan-India, it said.
"It appears Adani has bought 26GHz spectrum in 20 circles (except in Delhi and Kolkata), and its total spectrum purchase could be 3350MHz for Rs 900 crore.
"Our estimate is provisional data does not reflect the entire purchase by Adani. We believe it should have purchased 200MHz spectrum in all circles except Gujarat where it would have bought 400MHz," ICICI Securities added.
Nomura said at the current overall bid value, the government could garner Rs 13,000 crore in upfront payments in the current fiscal and a similar amount annually over the next 19 years.
Bids on the opening day were largely across 5G spectrum bands of 3.3GHz, 26GHz and 700MHz apart from 1800MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum bands as well. There has also been some selective bidding in 900MHz and 2500MHz spectrum bands.
"The bidding activity across bands has been largely at reserve prices," Credit Suisse said.
According to the end-of-day bidding activity results, there were bids for 10MHz spectrum (2 blocks) on a pan-India basis in the 700MHz band.
This, Credit Suisse said, could have been by Jio. "Jio's high earnest money deposit of Rs 14,000 crore gives it adequate eligibility points to bid for the 700MHz spectrum."
The 5G spectrum offers ultra-high speeds (about 10 times faster than 4G), lag-free connectivity, and can enable billions of connected devices to share data in real-time.
In addition to powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), 5G would enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming among others.
The government expects to allocate the spectrum in record time and 5G services are expected to be rolled out by September.
Credit Suisse said the 5G handset ecosystem was still nascent with penetration of 5-7 per cent of total smartphones of about 60 crores. "Apart from low penetration, price points for 5G handsets also need to come down - minimum price for a 5G smartphone is Rs 11,000 compared to Rs 6,500-7,000 for a decent 4G smartphone."
On the issue of pricing for consumers, ICICI Securities said the spectrum spent by market leaders Jio and Airtel are significantly higher than expected, and this would require the industry to grow faster in order to justify such large investments.
"This has not been true in most geographies across the globe, and higher spectrum investment has been seen to depress Return on invested capital (ROIC) for the industry. Therefore, we would remain cautious on the higher investments in India telecom," it added.
The four big players in the race -- Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani group -- having submitted a combined Rs 21,400 core in earnest money deposit (EMD), are ready with their war chests and strategies for the mega bid, that is likely to be around Rs 1.5 lakh crore if the last two auctions are kept in mind.
Reliance Jio Infocomm has submitted an EMD of Rs 14,000 while Bharti Airtel has put in Rs 5,500 crore.
In the 2021 auctions for 4G spectrum, Reliance Jio used 77.9 per cent of their earnest money deposit while Airtel used 87.7 per cent.
The 5G era will open 10 times faster than 4G and 30 times faster than 3G, allowing millions to have an experience never seen before.
The 5G auction -- entailing 72 GHz of the spectrum - will conclude by July-end and the rollout is expected by September this year.
The Department of Telecom has released a notice inviting applications (NIA) for the auction of spectrum in 600, 700, 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2500, 3300 MHz and 26GHz bands.
The NIA provides explicit clarity on the subject of Captive Non-Public Networks (CNPN).
The telcos are allowed to surrender spectrum that will be auctioned after a minimum period of 10 years from the date of acquisition.
Last month, in a big relief to telecom companies, the DoT scrapped the 3 per cent floor rate on spectrum usage charge (SUC).
5G in India will empower tech companies, enterprises and ecosystem players to build private networks and bring next-generation digital transformation which is critical for the country to achieve the goal of becoming a $1 trillion digital economy, according to industry leaders and experts.
According to Broadband India Forum (BIF), this will lead to better efficiencies, productivity and output for the enterprises, accelerate digitisation, boost capabilities, propel indigenous manufacturing and eventually garner greater economic gains for the country.
"As we look to cement India's position as a global hub for manufacturing, supply chain and R&D, as well as one of the leading digital economies across the world, the advancement of enterprises through dedicated captive private 5G networks will help gain efficiencies in all vital industry verticals," BIF President T.V. Ramachandran said.
Private 5G networks are about the deployment of high speed, enhanced data capacity, and ultra-low latency applications inside a closed manufacturing unit, hospital, airport, shipping port, etc.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the industry's apex body representing telcos, has urged the government not to allow Big Tech companies to enter the 5G spectrum auction via back door channels.
The COAI said that the 5G spectrum should not be provided on an administrative basis as it leads to no business case for the rollout of 5G networks in the country.
"If the independent entities set up private captive networks with direct 5G spectrum allotment by Department of Telecommunications (DoT), it will diminish the revenue so much that there will be no viable business case left for the telecom service providers (TSPs) and there will not remain any need for 5G networks rollout by TSPs," COAI Director General, Lt. Gen. Dr S.P. Kochhar, said.
With the 5G auctions, India is one step closer to realising a 5G-led future, with a strong base of 5G-capable devices already in place.
In regulatory filing, Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of the Reliance group, said the Board of Directors at its meeting held on Monday "approved the appointment of Akash Ambani, Non-executive Director, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company".
The company also said the Board "noted the resignation of Mukesh Ambani as Director of the company effective from close of working hours on June 27".
The Board also approved the appointment of Pankaj Mohan Pawar as the Managing Director for a period of five years commencing from June 27, subject to shareholders' approval.
The company also said the Board approved the appointment of Raminder Singh Gujral and K.V. Chowdary as Additional Directors, designated as Independent Directors, for a period of five years commencing from June 27, subject to shareholders' approval.
The revised tariffs will come into effect from December 1, the telecom major said.
The announcement by Reliance Jio comes few days after Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel announced a hike in their respective prepaid tariffs.
"These plans will provide the best value in the industry. Upholding the Jio promise of providing the best-quality service at the lowest price globally, Jio customers will continue to be the biggest beneficiaries."
"The new unlimited plans will go-live on 1st December 2021 and can be opted from all existing touchpoints and channels," Jio said.
On Tuesday, Vodafone Idea had announced that it would raise tariffs for its prepaid users by around 20 per cent, which came into effect on Thursday.
It maintained that the revision in plans will start the process of ARPU (Average Revenue Per Unit) improvement and help address the financial stress faced by the industry.
Earlier on Monday, Bharti Airtel had also raised the prepaid tariffs by around 20 per cent, which came into effect from Friday.
It is a first-of-its-kind device featuring an optimised operating system based on Android and Play Store.
"The device and the operating system will offer premium capabilities that have until now been associated with more powerful smartphones, including voice-first features that enable people to consume content and navigate the phone in their own language, deliver a great camera experience, and get the latest Android feature and security updates," said a statement.
Both companies have begun testing JioPhone Next with a limited set of users for further refinement and are actively working to make it available more widely in time for the Diwali festive season.
This additional time will also help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages.
JioPhone Next is built with exciting features like the Google Assistant, automatic read-aloud and language translation for any on-screen text, a smart camera with India-centric filters and much more.
The statement said that the companies remain committed to their vision of opening up new possibilities for millions of Indians, especially those who will experience the internet for the very first time.
Further, both domestic and global companies are set to benefit from the non-participation of Chinese majors Huawei and ZTE in the 5G trials.
Global equipment majors such as Ericsson are not the only ones in the game. Even domestic players have risen up to the occasion and are now actively pursuing tie ups along with growing their technical prowess.
Tech Mahindra, Sterlite Technologies Ltd and state-run ITI Ltd are among the Indian companies which have come up with 5G expertise.
The latest announcement of Tata Sons' subsidiary Panatone Finvest acquiring controlling stake in telecom equipment maker Tejas Networks would toughen the competition.
Panatone Finvest will buy a 43.3 per cent stake in Tejas Networks for Rs 1,850 crore and along with other Tata Group companies, Panatone would make a public announcement to acquire up to another 26 per cent stake in Tejas.
In a regulatory filing, Tejas said that it sees a very large opportunity in the telecom sector both in India and global markets with the new cycle of investments in 5G and fiber-based broadband rollouts.
In June, telecom giant Reliance's Jio partnered with US chipset maker Qualcomm to manufacture critical equipment for the 5G ecosystem in India.
Jio has also indigenously developed 5G Radio integrated with Jio's 5G core network and is in its development of in-house Massive MIMO and indoor 5G small cells is in advanced stages.
Tech Mahindra is also understood to be going with robust plans in terms of 5G technology.
The company recently reported strong earnings for the first quarter of FY22 and analysts are of the view that with the government's plan to stick to India-made 5G rollout, the company is expected the gain a significant portion of that "5G tech" pie.
As several partnerships in the telecom space have been announced, last month Bharti Airtel and Tata Consultancy Services announced partnership for the implementation of 5G solutions, starting pilot from January 2022.
TCS will implement the 5G solutions it has developed for Airtel. Tata Group has developed 5G solutions using Open-Radio Access Network (O-RAN), a part of telecommunication architecture.
Earlier this year, Bharti Airtel announced that it has become the first telecom service provider in the country to successfully demonstrate and orchestrate live 5G service. The demonstration took place in Hyderabad.
Last year, Bharti Airtel extended its multi-year contract with Ericsson for deploying 5G-ready radio network, strengthening their long-standing partnership.
Vodafone Idea in June announced to collaborate with Cisco to improve its existing 4G network and, in the future, 5G use cases for offering better quality experience for its customers.
The telco said that it would work with Cisco to design and build a cost-efficient network architecture to drive greater speed to market as it taps opportunities in 4G, 5G, Cloud, and IoT.
Finnish mobile and equipment maker Nokia may to be seen in India's much awaited 5G scenario.
Sector experts are of the view that the Rs 12,195 crore production linked incentive scheme would also be a major boost for the sector and more players may pitch in to manufacture equipment and network devices in India.
As per the government, the scheme envisages to create global champions out of India who have the potential to grow in size and scale, using cutting edge technology and thereby, penetrate the global value chains. Telecom products play an important role in the larger vision of "Digital India".
This whole target of domestic manufacturing gained traction last year amid the border standoff with China.
Amid the standoff and concerns over security, the government decided to keep Chinese players, some of which are giants in this very segment, out of the 5G trials in India.
The much-anticipated 5G trials have begun and the Department of Telecommunications granted permission to Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea Ltd on May 27, 2021 and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited on June 23, 2021 for conducting 5G Technology trials with a validity period of six months.
As India takes strides in terms of manufacturing and technology, it seems it may turn self-sufficient and even a global leader in terms of 5G technology with several major global companies coming in and home-grown players too joining the bus.
Apart from unlimited voice calls, the special Rs 18 recharge voucher will offer unlimited video calls and unlimited data access for two days.
BSNL has also announced its premium recharge options with up to 18 percent additional talk time and bundled data.
This is apparently BSNL’s planned strategy to take on Reliance Jio, which has managed to increase its customer database substantially across the country by offering affordable recharge options like Rs 19 which offers 0.15GB data per day, unlimited voice calls and 20 SMS messages per day.
In other packages, BSNL is offering a talk time of Rs. 2,125 and 15GB data for a recharge of Rs. 1,801 BSNL while the Rs. 1,201 recharge comes with a talk time of Rs. 1,417 and 10GB data.
According to the company, the App will allow customers to book and cancel tickets by using debit cards, credit cards and e-wallets, check PNR status, train information, timings, routes, seat availability and several other services on their JioPhones.
"Available on the Jio App Store, the JioRail app also allows Tatkal booking for any last minute travel plans," the company said in a statement.
"If a user does not have an IRCTC account, the app also allows them to create an account and then proceed for the required ticket booking. With JioRail, users can also check the PNR status for tickets booked through the app. The app also plans to offer enhanced services like PNR status change alerts, locate train and food ordering in future."
[With IANS Inputs]
The move of the leading broadband provider will certainly be a competition with Reliance Jio’s Rs 1,999 plan which offers 125GB data and comes with a validity of 180 days along with 100 SMS per day and unlimited voice calls.
The special BSNL prepaid data plan offers long-term benefits to the users. As per sources, the plan comes with a validity of 150 days while its users will get a maximum of 2GB daily 3G data along with unlimited voice calls even while roaming. The plan also offers as many as 100 SMS per day.
For the entire validity period, the prepaid users will get a total of up to 300GB data and up to 15,000 SMS for the entire validity period.
This apart, BSNL has introduced a FIFA special plan priced at Rs 149, which offers 4GB daily data for 28 days. However, the plan does not include any voice call or SMS benefits.
A few days back, BSNL had launched four new non-FTTH broadband plans that start from Rs 99 to Rs 399, where the users can get a data ranging from 45GB to mega 600GB.
These plans come with daily data benefit like the unlimited prepaid combo plans that are being offered by telecom majors these days and some of these broadband plans have voice combo-inbuilt, which makes them attractive for the end user.
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BSNL has introduced Rs 99 with 45GB data per month, Rs 199 will provide 150GB per month, Rs 299 with 300GB data per month and Rs 399 BBG ULD Combo will give the users a 600GB data, which is the highest plan under this segment.
All these new broadband plans will give 20 Mbps speed, and after the allocated data is consumed, the speed will be reduced to 1 Mbps, which is again a decent speed.
Giving another offer to its customers, Reliance Jio has once again come up with three different plans.
Reliance Jio is now offering something called JioLink, which is an indoor 4G Wi-Fi hotspot offering high-speed internet access and best for use in homes, shops, malls and offices, BGR India reported.
The first plan is at Rs 699 with 28 days validity, where one get 140GB data with a daily limit of 5GB.
The second plan is at Rs 2,099 which offers 5GB daily data with a validity of 98 days. In case you each your daily limit, here you can continue browsing at reduced speed of 64Kbps.
The third plan is at Rs 4,199 and which ensures 5GB daily data with a validity of 196 days.
It is important to note that all plans come with complimentary subscription to Jio apps. However, the plans don’t include any voice and SMS benefits, BGR India reported.
As per sources, BSNL is offering four new non-FTTH broadband plans that start from Rs 99 to Rs 399, where the users can get a data ranging from 45GB to mega 600GB.
These plans come with daily data benefit like the unlimited prepaid combo plans that are being offered by telecom majors these days and some of these broadband plans have voice combo-inbuilt, which makes them attractive for the end user.
BSNL has introduced Rs 99 with 45GB data per month, Rs 199 will provide 150GB per month, Rs 299 with 300GB data per month and Rs 399 BBG ULD Combo will give the users a 600GB data, which is the highest plan under this segment.
All these new broadband plans will give 20 Mbps speed, and after the allocated data is consumed, the speed will be reduced to 1 Mbps, which is again a decent speed.
Plan Details:
(a) Rs 99 plan: 45GB per month- 1.5 GB per day with 20 Mbps speed (1Mbps speed post FUP)
(b) Rs 199 plan: 150GB per month- 5 GB per day with 20 Mbps speed (1Mbps speed post FUP)
(c) Rs 299 plan: 300 GB per month- 10GB per day with 20 Mbps speed (1Mbps speed post FUP)
(d) Rs 399 plan: 600 GB per month- 20GB per day with 20 Mbps speed (1Mbps speed post FUP)
"BSNL presents IPL pack Unlimited data STV-248 for prepaid mobile customers which gives unlimited data (3 GB data per day) with validity of 51 days during period of IPL cricket match. This will be useful for our subscriber to stream live IPL matches at a very economical rate," the state-run firm said.
This limited period offer is available in the market till end of this month on pan India basis.
This limited period offer is available in the market from April 7, 2018 to 30 April 2018 on pan India basis," BSNL statement said.
Reliance Jio on Wednesday announced a 102 GB data pack for Rs 251 during the upcoming cricket season. Telecom major Bharti Airtel also stated it will provide free live streaming of IPL matches through Hotstar on its TV app.
At Rs 248 for 153 GB, BSNL is offering cheapest data in the market. The state-run firm BSNL, however, has only 3G network across India while Jio's offer is for 4G service.
On the other hand, bringing joy to its broadband users, telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has announced extension of the ‘Airtel Big Byte Offer’ till October 31 this year under which 1000 GB is being offered.
The Airtel Big Byte Offer, which was introduced in May last year, was earlier valid till March 2018.
Under plans for Rs 1,099 and Rs 1,799, Airtel will offer 100 GB data per month at 100 Mbps speed and 1,000 GB as bonus data to broadband users.
This offer is available to customers who have availed Airtel’s broadband services on or after June 12, 2017 after visiting www.airtel.in/broadband.
The data can be carried forward each month till October 31, or till the data is finished.
As per sources, the customers will get 140 GB data for 28 days. The pack is launched for those who use internet maximum and need more data.
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The customers, who want to avail benefit of this offer, are required to pay Rs 799 for the plan. Reliance Jio under this offer will provide 5 GB data everyday while the special pack comes with a validity of 28 days.
In another offer launched by Reliance Jio, a new offer for Navratri, Jio customers will get 1.5GB data per day for as many as 8 months along with unlimited calls. The customers, in order to avail this special offer, need to buy a JioFi device. The JioFi device will cost only for Rs 700 which is a special Navratri offer. Earlier, the JioFi device was priced at Rs 1,999, but due to Navratri offer it costs just Rs 700.
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Data, local and STD calls as well as SMSes will be free once the customers buy the JioFi device for Rs 700. Moreover, the customers have an option to choose one of the three best plans under this offer. The first plan comes with 1.5 GB data per day for 8 months. The second plan under this offer comes with 2 GB data per day for 6 months while in the third option the customers will get 3 GB data per day for 4 months.
As per reports, under this offer, Reliance Jio will provide 1,000 GB of data for the entire one year for its customers. What is more exciting and new is that the company has not set a per day limit in this plan.
When there is no limit per day, customers can spend the 1000 GB data as per their wish. They can use it in a single day or can carry the data along for 365 days, depending upon their necessity.
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This apart, the STD and local calls are also being provided free of cost for the whole one year which will be free in this plan.
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The rest of the facilities will remain as the first plaque. Reliance Jio has priced this pack at Rs 4999.
Having been said that, it may be noted to all the customers that this offer will be available only with Samsung, with the launch of two new smartphones. The Rs 4,999 plan is also available for the rest of the customers, but they are being given 350 GB of data for 360 days, instead of the newly introduced 1000 GB.
Samsung has recently launched two new smartphones in India. The two smartphones include Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. The first launched in India is the Galaxy S9, and the other smartphone is the Galaxy S9 Plus.
Reliance jio Company has presented its new offer with these two smartphones. This new offer of 1000GB for a period of 365 days data plan will be available only for these two phones.
This latest offer from Jio allows the users of these two smartphones Rs. 2200 cashback in the form of vouchers. They will also get 100% additional 4G data on the already existing plans.
Reliance Jio is going to provide 44 cashback vouchers of Rs 50 each under the Rs 2,200 cashback offer for the buyers of Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro buyers.
The customers will have to get their first recharge through Rs 198 or Rs 299 plans to avail the scheme.
The cashback vouchers can also be redeemed on subsequent recharges of the either of the two plans. This offer will be available only on the MyJio app.
The smartphone buyers will get the cashback as vouchers which can be used to purchase Jio recharges under "Jio #GiveMe5 Offer".
Jio subscribers can also get double the data as a part of the offer on recharging with plans priced at Rs. 198 or above for Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro. Notably, the offer can be availed only on the first three recharges.
4.5 TB of maximum data can be received in this offer. Three 750GB recharges with the Rs. 9,999 plan can get you that amount of data.
In India, the price of Xiomi Redmi Note 5 starts at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM, 32GB storage variant, and goes up to Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant
Similarly, for Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, price starts at Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant, and goes up to Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB RAM, 64GB storage variant in India.
The Rs 93 pack comes with 'unlimited' local and STD calls, free calls on roaming, 100 SMS messages per day, and 1GB of 4G/ 3G data for the entire 28-day validity period.
As part of its Republic Day 2018 offer, Reliance Jio introduced Rs. 98 pack for prepaid customers with 28-day validity, making it the cheapest recharge with month-long validity it has to offer. Jio's Rs.98 prepaid recharge plan offers 2 GB of 4G high speed data for a period of 28 days with no daily cap.
Recently, Airtel had started offering 1GB data per day for 28 days with the Rs. 149 recharge pack, as a response to Jio offering the same benefits at the time.
Reliance Jio currently offers 1.05 GB of data in its Rs 52 recharge prepaid plan which comes bundled with free voice calls and free messages with a validity of seven days.
The Airtel's new Rs 49 prepaid data pack is available via My Airtel app as well as the company's website. The new data pack is in addition to another plan of Airtel that also offers 1GB 3G/ 4G data with 1-day validity but is priced at Rs 51. However, the Rs 49 data pack is currently only available for select mobile numbers and select circles in India.
Airtel prepaid users in metros, including New Delhi can now avail the prepaid data pack.
To avail the offer, subscribers can open 'My Airtel' app from their mobiles and click on 'View Best Offers' to have a look at all the new packs available under the Data section and choose accordingly.
Customers can also log on to Airtel's website and then click on prepaid recharge. Once done, they just have to add the mobile number and browse the plans.
New Delhi: Good times for Jio subscribers may be over as it seems that Reliance Jio may raise the price of its data offers and become more of a level playing field for its rivals. After providing free and discounted data pricing for a year, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices, sources said.
London-based OpenSignal, which specialises in crowdsourced wireless coverage mapping all over the world, said Jio's market entry kicked off an intense price war in the telecom scene in India, resulting in offerings of cheaper LTE services from all operators, driving more consumers to 4G than ever before. However, it may now raise prices of its data offers and it may become a level playing field for rivals.
"The trend will continue next year. Whether Jio remains the huge dominant driver in 4G growth remains to be seen. After a year of free and steeply discounted data pricing, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices. That could level the playing field for India's operators," said Andrea Toth from OpenSignal.
“Jio’s widespread 4G access, along with its at-first free and later heavily discounted data and voice plans, quickly won the hearts – and wallets – of more than 100 million mobile users across the country,” Toth added.
Reliance Jio, while disrupting the telecom market in India, has also catapulted the country towards being a full-grown 4G power. According to a new report, from a developing 4G nation, India is all set to become a full-grown power in 2018. According to an OpenSignal report, India’s growth in 4G has been sped up by the entry of Reliance Jio.
According to Crisil's predictions. India's current mobile data subscriber penetration stands at 40 per cent which is expected to double to 80 per cent by 2020. Telecom companies have been providing free voice calls and affordable data plans and they have been one of the key reasons for a boost in 4G connections. Additionally, the companies have also announced cheap 4G mobiles in India and the impact will soon be seen.
The details of the plans are given below:
Airtel Rs. 349 Offer
Under this pack, Airtel offers unlimited local/STD calls along with 2GB of 3G/4G data for a validity period of 28 days for its prepaid subscribers.
Airtel Rs. 448 Offer
Under this pack, Airtel customers can enjoy unlimited local/STD voice calls along with roaming outgoing calls and 1 GB 4G data per day for a validity period of 70 days.
Jio Rs 309 Plan
This plan by Jio offers unlimited voice calls - including local, STD and roaming - and unlimited SMS along with 1 GB of data per day for a validity of 49 days. After usage of 1 GB data per day, the speed is reduced to 64 Kbps, according to the Jio website. The maximum data that can be availed in this plan is 49 GB.
Jio Rs 399 Plan
This plan also offers unlimited voice calls - including local, STD and roaming - and unlimited SMS along with 1 GB of data per day for a validity of 70 days. Same as Rs 309 plan, the speed is reduced to 64 Kbps after usage of 1 GB data per day. The maximum data that can be availed in this plan is 70 GB.
Jio Rs 459 Plan
The same unlimited voice and SMS along wiht 1GB of high speed data that reduces to 64 Kbps after usage of 1 GB data per day is offered to the customers under this plan. The maximum data that can be availed in this plan is 84 GB over a validity period of 84 days.
Jio Rs 499 Plan
This plan also offers the same benefits as the above plans with a maximum limit of 91 GB data for 91 days.
“We have a different strategy for 4G like one is to utilize Wi-Fi route of 4G and for that we have already installed 15000 Wi-Fi hotspots which are 4G enabled and second is to go classical route like LTE which we will begin in January,” Gizbot quoted Anupam Shrivastava, Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL, as saying.
ZTE and Nokia will install the 4G equipment by December end in West and South Zone first followed by North and East Zone, said Shrivastava.
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BSNL has plans to increase Wi-Fi hotspots up to 100,000 over two years, he added.
Meanwhile, BSNL is offering voice-calling free of cost among other benefits under several of its prepaid recharge plans like unlimited voice calls over a validity period spanning 28 days to 180 days.
Under its Rs 485 plan, it is offering 1 GB of data per day. However, this benefit is applicable for the first 90 days only.
According to the offer, Jio users who buy Oppo devices and recharge with Rs 309 or above will receive up to 100 GB of additional 4G data spread over 10 recharges wherein each recharge will get the user an additional 10 GB free data.
The offer is introduced in the market to celebrate the release of Oppo's new smartphone Oppo F5, which was recently launched in two colour variants- Gold and Black. The new phone comes with a price tag of Rs 19,990 both across online and offline platforms.
People using Oppo F5, F3, F3 Plus and F1 Plus models of the smartphone can avail the benefit of 10GB free 4G data per recharge which is valid for 10 recharges that will offer a cumulative 100 GB free data.
For Oppo F1s, A33F, A37F, A37Fw, A57 and A71 model phone users, Jio is offering 10GB of free 4G data for six recharges.
To get the extra data, users have to first get a Jio recharge done from the MyJio app. A recharge of Rs 309 or higher has to be done to get the benefits. A notification will be flashed in the app for confirmation. Jio sim has to be inserted in the phone to avail the offer.
The additional data will be credited within 48 hours of the recharge. It will be displayed under ‘My Vouchers’ section on the app and to activate it the user have to choose ‘View Voucher’ option in this tab.
The offer is a special Diwali offer but the telecom operator is yet to reveal the expiry date of the offer.
Customers have to recharge using the Airtel Payments Bank to get the cashback.
According to sources, the offer differs from person to person and 100% cashback is not provided with a single recharge. The cashback on the first recharge will be Rs 75 and from the second recharge it will be just Rs 40.
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Notably, the Rs 349 plan from Airtel offers 300 minutes of voice calls per day and 1200 minutes per week and 1GB 4G data per day for 28 days.
Recently, Jio launched the special cashback offer giving customers full cashback in the form of vouchers, which one can use for future recharges. Moreover, Reliance Jio has recently updated its tariff plans and hiked the price of the Rs 399 plan to Rs 459 with same benefits of 1GB data per day and free unlimited voice calls for 84 days.
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Earlier, the Rs 149 recharge plan was offering 2 GB data.
Also, the telecom company increased rate of its 84-day validity for Rs 399 recharge under the Dhan Dhana Dhan plan to Rs 459 from today.
Besides, Jio launched a plan for Rs 52 recharge with one-week validity and Rs 98 recharge with two weeks validity. With these two new plans, subscribers will get free voice, SMS, and unlimited data (0.15 GB daily).
The plans will offer unlimited voice calls even during roaming.
Meanwhile, the company reduced benefit under Rs 509 scheme. As per the new plan, validity or billing cycle was reduced from 56 days to 49 days and data allocation is reduced to 98GB from 112 GB.
The Rs 999 plan will now offer 60GB 4G high speed data for three months whereas the Rs 1,999 plan will have six months validity and offer 125GB data at unrestricted high speed.
Under the new tariff, the Rs 4,999 plan will have one year validity instead of 210 days. However, subscribers will get 350 GB high speed data as per the plan.
If customers can recharge in between October 12 and 18, the benefits will be made available under the Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan scheme, which was unveiled by Reliance Jio on Thursday.
This pre-paid offer will work like an advance recharge, meaning subscribers opting for it can use the same after their ongoing validity expires.
The new recharge will lock in all existing tariff benefits currently being offered under the Rs 399 plan, including 1GB of 4G data a day for 84 days, and free unlimited outgoing voice calls and SMSes as well as domestic roaming.
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Once someone recharges Jio number with the Rs 399 pack, eight coupons worth Rs 50 each will get credited to the Jio account. Someone can open the MyJio app and check out the ‘my vouchers’ section.
In the same menu, the Jio customer will get an option to send the coupons to others. In order to redeem the coupons, the Jio customer will have to recharge with Rs 309 plan or above. At one time, the Jio customer will be able to use only one such voucher.
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However, the company has not confirmed whether the offer will continue after Diwali.
Vodafone’s move came after Reliance Jio and Airtel came up with similar plan to attract customers.
Reliance Jio also recently offered 100 per cent cashback on a recharge of Rs 399. Its Dhan Dhana Dhan plan will start from October 12 and will continue till October 18.
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In the cash-back offer, users will also get eight recharge vouchers worth Rs 50, which the users will be able to redeem in the future of Rs 309 or above and Rs 91 or above for data add-ons. However, users can only redeem these vouchers after November 15 only one at a time. The company is yet to announce the expiry date of these vouchers.
Also Read: JioPhone unlimited voice calls capped
Company sources said to avoid misuse of the service, Reliance Jio will allow a maximum of 300 minutes (5 hours) free calls per day. The connection can only be used for personal use according to the terms and conditions set by the company. The company will suspend the service if it gets suspicious of any misuse. Besides, the users will also be limited to 100 SMSes per day. However, this limit has been placed by TRAI.
As the company has started shipping the device to customers, who had pre-booked it, the Reliance Industries revealed a list of terms and conditions on its official website.
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As per the conditions, users can return the device before a period of three years but that would lead to losing the entire or a part of the amount they paid while buying the device. Users who return their device within a period of one year will get no money in return. Buyers who return the device between the periods of 12 months and 24 months from the date of purchase will get Rs 500 in return. Users who return the device within a period of 24 to 36 months will receive Rs 1,000 in return and buyers who return it after completing all three years will get the entire sum of Rs 1,500.
This apart, the user will have to keep recharging their balance on a monthly basis to keep the device. Reliance Industries has even set a threshold of recharges worth Rs 1,500 per year or the company will repossess the device.
It had 160.1 million subscribers at the end of December 2017.
"Jio, now the world's largest and fastest growing mobile data network, stunned the world and made us proud by turning profitable in the very first year of operations," Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, RIL said in the report.
Jio earned a net profit of Rs 723 crore on a turnover of Rs 23,714 crore in its first year of commercial operations.
"Jio continued with its strong subscriber growth, with 186.6 million customers at the end of March 2018, and the lowest churn in the industry at 0.25 per cent per month. Each Jio subscriber on an average consumes 9.7 GB data, 716 minutes of voice calls, and 13.8 hours of video per month," the report stated.
Jio's average download speed of 17.9 Mbps is more than twice the network speed available on any other network, the report claimed.
As part of the scheme, for "Galaxy J2 (2018)," Jio subscribers can avail instant cashback vouchers up to Rs 2,750 along with a 100GB 4G data benefit, read the information available on Jio website.
Similarly, "Galaxy J7 Duo" is available for purchase with double data benefits that would come with four and more recharges.
For users subscribed to Jio prepaid plans of Rs 198 and above, the offers on both the devices will be valid till September 30.
Customers can get access to more information about the offers on Reliance Jio's official website.
Xiaomi was the leader with 25 per cent market share in Q4 of 2017.
According to Counterpoint's "Market Monitor" service, Samsung with 26.2 per cent share was second, followed by Vivo at 5.8 per cent share in the smartphone segment.
Driven by the feature phone segment which doubled owing to strong shipments of Reliance JioPhone, India's overall mobile phone shipments grew 48 per cent (YoY) in Q1 2018.
Honor (Huawei) entered top five smartphone brands for the first time. Honor (146 per cent), Xiaomi (134 per cent) and OnePlus (112 per cent) were the fastest growing smartphone brands.
"Q1 2018 started off with some brands sitting on inventory post the festive season in Q4 2017, which continued throughout the quarter as industry moves to a Full View display portfolio," Karn Chauhan, Research Analyst, said in a statement.
Furthermore, the quarter was also marked with less than normal smartphone launches as very few brands refreshed their portfolio, except for Xiaomi and Samsung which benefitted from the new launches.
"However, we expect the demand to start picking up from early Q2 2018 onwards, driven by faster replacement rate of existing 2G and 3G smartphone users upgrading to 4G mobile phones," Chauhan added.
This is the first time that the top five smartphone brands accounted for more than 70 per cent market share in a single quarter.
"Xiaomi and Samsung alone captured 58 per cent of the total smartphone market. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5 and 5 Pro were the most popular models for the Chinese brand, whereas Samsung Galaxy J7 NXT and J2 (2017) drove volumes for the Korean vendor," said Anshika Jain, Research Analyst.
The performance of Chinese brands remained strong, accounting for 57 per cent of the total smartphone market in Q1 2018, up from 53 per cent during Q1 2017.
"The demand for JioPhone continued through Q1 2018 as Reliance Jio's feature phone market share raced from 0 per cent last year to 36 per cent in Q1 2018. This demand was catalysed by the introduction of a cheaper data plan," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director.
China based Transsion Group (the holding group of Tecno, Itel and Infinix) has become the fifth largest player with four per cent market share in Q1 2018 (combined for all three brands).
The race for the fifth position is quite close between Lava, Micromax, Honor, Nokia (HMD) and Lenovo (+Moto) brands.
Itel is the third largest player in the feature phone segment with 17 per cent growth (YoY).
He said that the initiative will take forward the flagship Jio Movement with the ambitious new plan for a New India and New Maharashtra by setting up the country's first-ever 'Integrated Industrial Development Area' in the state over the next 10 years.
"The company will make Maharashtra the birthplace and cradle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in India, which is a convergence of disruptive technologies in the physical, digital and biological spheres. It is going to transform the world and our society in unimaginable ways," Ambani said in his address at the 'Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018' inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The company will invest more than Rs 60,000 crores along with a coalition of global companies over the next 10 years in this collaborative initiative, he said.
Some of the global companies who have already agreed to co-invest with Reliance include: CISCO, Siemens, Corning, HP, Dell, Nokia and Nvidia, he said, assuring Modi that "this mega-project will make Maharashtra even more magnetic".
Ambani said there is a global race to harness Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Next-Generation Virtual and Augmented Reality, Life Sciences, New Materials and New Sources of Energy and other futuristic technologies.
"India cannot afford to lag behind in this race and indeed has an opportunity to be a global leader," he said.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution will help Maharashtra and India solve the most difficult problems in socio-economic development in health-care and education, water security and environmental security, boosting agriculture production, in making all our towns, cities and villages SMART, and generate millions of new employment opportunities for youth of the state and in India.
Ambani described Mumbai as the 'janmabhoomi' (birthplace) of Reliance and his own 'karmabhoomi' (workplace) where the start-up company was established by his father, the late visionary Dhirubhai Ambani with a seed capital of just Rs 1,000 and one employee.
"Today, Reliance employs over 350,000 people... it's the largest 'wealth-creator for India'. Reliance always invests in India's Big Dreams in building businesses of the future with Indian talent and Indian youth," he said.
He said Mumbai is also home to Jio, the newest tech-startup in the Reliance family, and when the Prime Minister unveiled his vision for a Digital India, it also became Jio's own mission.
"Before Jio's launch, India was 155th in the world in mobile broadband consumption. Today India is No. 1. Over 170 million Indians enjoy the highest quality date services at the lowest prices in the world," he said.
So far, the company has invested Rs 250,000 crore in India, of which the highest share - Rs 22,000 crore - came to Maharashtra, and within two years, Jio will connect every village panchayat, every school, college and hospital in the state to bring the benefits of digital revolution to the last person in society, he said.
The JioPhone is available at a refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500 for three years, the company said in a statement.
Reliance announced the launch of 4G and VoLTE-enabled JioPhone on July 21 last year.
Aimed at over 50 crore feature phone users, the 2.4 inch device has 2MP rear camera and runs on 2000mAh battery. The JioPhone has a single Nano-SIM slot and a microSD card slot.
JioPhone supports 22 Indian languages and has its own Voice Assistant -- HelloJio.
JioPhone users can also enjoy free voice calls and unlimited data (1GB at high speed) for 28 days at a price of only Rs 49, the statement added.
"Emerging Asia saw smartphone sales of 58.6 million units in 4Q17, down one per cent year-on-year," the market research firm said.
This was dragged by a three per cent decline in India, where a proliferation of low-priced 4G feature phones likely cannibalised smartphone sales," it added.
In 2017, 232.7 million smartphones were sold in the Emerging Asia region, an increase of eight per cent compared to 2016. GfK forecasts regional demand growth to improve to nine per cent in 2018.
"The outlook for 2018 is positive as GfK forecasts global smartphone demand to rise by three per cent compared to 2017, driven by Emerging Asia and Central and Eastern Europe," said Yotaro Noguchi, product lead in GfK's trends and forecasting division.
"With saturation in developed markets, consumer retention will be a key focus for smartphone makers, which, alongside increased commoditisation, will encourage greater innovation and differentiation in order to spur sales," he added.
Sales in "Developed Asia" hit 18.5 million units in 4Q 17, a fall of nine percent year-on-year, dragged by a 21 per cent decline in South Korea.
Smartphone sales in the region totalled 68.5 million units in 2017, a fall of six per cent compared to 2016.
However, GfK forecasts a return to growth of two per cent in 2018, driven primarily by improving fortunes in Japan.
Global smartphone sales reached 397 million units in the fourth quarter of 2017 -- a one per cent increase year-on-year.
Demand was primarily driven by Middle East and Africa, which experienced eight per cent growth, and Central and Eastern Europe, where demand grew seven per cent.
"Smartphone year-on-year demand growth moderated for the fourth consecutive quarter, rising only one per cent to 397 million units in 4Q17.
"However, sales value increased by 11 per cent year-on-year in the quarter, which is exceptional growth for such a mature technology category," said Arndt Polifke, Global Director of PoS telecom research at GfK.
According to industry sources, the new offer will be effective from Tuesday, January 9, 2018.
"All existing 1 GB packs will be enhanced with two additional options: 50 per cent more data or Rs 50 discount on the price plans," industry sources said.
"This will make the unlimited monthly pack (1GB daily) available at only Rs 149, the lowest ever tariff in the industry."
Besides, the company's flagship Rs 399 plan will now provide "20 per cent additional data with enhanced validity of two additional weeks, increasing the current validity from 70 to 84 days".
"To support their customers' high data consumption, Jio has introduced special 1.5 GB per day packs at the lowest per GB industry rate of only Rs 4 per GB," sources said.
Consequent to the agreement, Jio or its nominees will acquire assets under four categories -- towers, optic fibre cable network, spectrum and media convergence nodes -- from RCOM and its affiliates, Jio said in a statement.
RCOM's assets which were put up for monetisation include 122.4 MHz of 4G Spectrum in the 800/900/1800/2100 MHz bands, over 43,000 towers, around 1.78 lakh km of fibre with pan-India footprint and 248 media convergence nodes, covering five million sq ft used for hosting telecom infrastructure.
"These assets are strategic in nature and are expected to contribute significantly to the large scale roll-out of wireless and fibre-to-home and enterprise services by RJIL," Jio said.
In a release, RCOM said: "The company expects the transactions to close in a phased manner between January and March 2018, subject to lenders' and other applicable approvals. The Reliance Jio deal consideration comprises primarily of cash payment and includes transfer of deferred spectrum instalments payable to the Department of Telecommunication.
"The company will utilise the proceeds of the monetisation of this cash deal solely for pre-payment of debt to its lenders."
Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani had on Tuesday said the company has achieved full resolution of Reliance Communications' debt, reducing it by Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore by monetising assets.
Saying that going forward Reliance Communications will be a business-to-business (B2B) company, he added the company achieved this debt restructuring by asset monetisation of its wireless business and selling real estate. The new company would have a debt of Rs 6,000 crore representing reduction of over 85 per cent of the total debt.
An asset monetisation process for RCOM assets was mandated by the lenders of RCOM, who appointed SBI Capital Markets Limited to run the process. The process is supervised by an independent group of industry experts from banking, telecom and law. RJIL emerged as the successful bidder in the two-stage bidding process.
"The acquisition is subject to receipt of requisite approvals from governmental and regulatory authorities, consents from all lenders, release of all encumbrances on the said assets and other conditions precedent. The consideration is payable at completion and is subject to adjustments as specified in the agreement," the Jio statement said.
RJIL is being advised by Goldman Sachs, Citigroup Global Markets, JM Financial Private Limited, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co and Ernst & Young on this transaction.
This cashback will be in the form of Rs 400 MyJio cashback vouchers, up to Rs 300 instant cashback vouchers from wallets and up to Rs 2,600 discount vouchers from e-commerce players.
This is in addition to the two new plans that the company had launched under its Happy New Year 2018 on Friday night with higher data benefits for its subscribers.
London-based OpenSignal, which specialises in crowdsourced wireless coverage mapping all over the world, said that Jio's market entry kicked off an intense price war in the telecom scene in India, resulting in offerings of cheaper LTE services from all operators, driving more consumers to 4G than ever before
"The trend will continue next year. Whether Jio remains the huge dominant driver in 4G growth remains to be seen. After a year of free and steeply discounted data pricing, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices. That could level the playing field for India's operators," said Andrea Toth from OpenSignal.
"Jio's widespread 4G access, along with its at-first free and later heavily discounted data and voice plans, quickly won the hearts -- and wallets -- of more than 100 million mobile users across the country," Toth added.
India's current mobile data subscriber penetration stands at 40 per cent which is expected to double to 80 per cent by 2022, according to Crisil's predictions.
"LTE services have taken the leading role in the unprecedented increase of data users in the past year, in large part thanks to Jio," the report said.
During the quarter ending June 2017, total data usage stood at over 4.2 million terabytes, out of which 4G data accounted for 3.9 million TBs, according to TRAI data.
"LTE availability in India is remarkable. The users were able to connect to an LTE signal over 84 per cent of the time -- a rise of over 10 percentage points from a year earlier. This places India ahead of more established countries in the 4G landscape such as Sweden, Taiwan, Switzerland or the UK," Toth noted.
Barely six months in the market this year, Jio secured its lead in the 4G availability race, "with users able to access its LTE signals 91.6 per cent of the time," according to an earlier OpenSignal national report published in April this year.
No other mobile operator managed to score higher than 60 per cent in these tests.
"Six months later, we saw significant improvements in availability across all major operators but those improvements weren't enough to close the gap with Jio, which was able to provide an LTE signal at a jaw-dropping 95.6 per cent of the time in the same test period," Toth informed.
While LTE availability saw a meteoric rise, the same cannot be said of 4G speeds.
"In our latest State of LTE report, India occupied the lowest spot among the 77 countries we examined, with average download speeds of 6.1 Mbps, over 10 Mbps lower than the global average," the report said.
As 4G adoption rose, and more and more consumers subscribed to 4G services, the networks experienced congestion, resulting in a decrease in average download speeds across the board.
With operators rolling out low-cost data plans to grow their consumer bases, and manufacturers launching affordable 4G smartphones enabling a greater slice of the population to get connected, OpenSignal expects 4G availability to maintain its rising trajectory across the country.
The triple cashback offer includes 100 per cent cashback vouchers of JIO worth Rs 400 on every Jio tariff plan recharge of Rs 399 or above and instant cashback of up to Rs 300 on every recharge by JIO's partner wallets including leading digital payment wallets like AmazonPay, AxisPay, FreeCharge, Mobikwik, PayTM and PhonePe.
The exclusive Jio Prime benefits will be available during the offer period from November 10-25, 2017.
The cashback redemption availability will have three categories -- the Jio cashback vouchers worth Rs 400 (Rs 50 x 8) will be provided instantly in MyJio, for redemption from November 15, 2017; the instant cashback from partner wallets will be credited to user wallets instantly and the ecommerce vouchers will be available from November 20, 2017 onwards.
Also Read: Airtel Checkmates Rivals With 300GB Data Plan Valid For 1 Year
The triple cashback Jio Prime Benefit is the first set of exclusive offers announced for Jio Prime members. These offers go beyond the special tariff benefits that are already available to Jio Prime members.
Jio Prime is a membership for customers who have joined Jio and enrolled for Jio Prime at a one-time annual membership fee of Rs 99.
"Presently, the telecom operator is hunting for a large subscriber base. While it has already 139 million subscribers, it is expected to achieve about 200 million subscribers by 2018," said Soni.
"From 2018, Jio will change from a hunter to a farmer and will start making money on their $30 billion investment," he added.
Soni further said that the incumbents like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea will also benefit from the rational price in the industry.
Talking about pricing or tariff, Soni said the average tariffs have been on the decline from the last four to five years. "And recently with the entry of Reliance Jio, the blended average revenue per user has rapidly declined because of lower data tariff and voice being cannibalised by data."
Asked if rationalisation of pricing will adversely impact Jio's customer retention, Soni said: "Jio in the short term will remain very aggressive. It will continue to offer discounts and promotions, the cheaper handsets and other marketing strategies to increase its subscribers' base."
Right now the challenge in front of Jio is to amass the larger subscriber base. It will try to poach in the subscribers which have already exited smaller telcos, like Tata and Telenor. And probably some subscribers from incumbents like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea as well.
"In some quarter there could be bit of a decline in ARPU (average revenue per user) and Jio will give some more discounts and given the whole industry nature, it is a prepaid market you always have to be really aggressive. But I think overall the industry structure is corrected and three large players are there, I do not see them killing each other further to gain more subscribers," he said.
He thinks these three players in the medium term will start making healthy profit and will return back to a rational kind of competition in the sector.
"Now Jio's offering is slightly cheaper than the incumbents. It is not very different now. I think the top three players' tariff would be around Rs 140-150 levels. But I think going forward the telco which will provide a good quality of data to their subscribers, the subscribers will naturally move to that. Pricing will be more or less same for these three telcos," Soni added.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's speed data, Jio recorded average speed of 18.433 Mbps for the month of August.
It was followed by Vodafone (8.999 Mbps), Idea Cellular (8.746 Mbps) and Bharti Airtel (8.550 Mbps).