Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), has commenced field testing of 5G network across four circles in the country. The tests, which are to prepare the ground before a commercial rollout, is being conducted jointly with partners and using its own technology.

The trials are being done using its own technology in Mumbai, while that in Delhi is being conducted jointly with Ericsson, with Nokia in Pune and Samsung in Gujarat. The firm is also gearing up to start trials in Hyderabad, industry sources aware of the development told BusinessLine.

Also read: RJio buys spectrum worth ₹57,123 crore across 22 circles

The company’s technological partner for Hyderabad could not be immediately ascertained. However, a commercial launch would not happen anytime soon as the government is yet to award spectrum and licences for rollout of the 5G services, they added.

RJio is testing its network and equipment using both mmWave and mid-band spectrum. Jio Platforms Ltd (JPL), the digital arm of RIL, had earlier announced that it had achieved a throughput of 1 GBPS (message delivery over a communication channel) from a single cell and will demonstrate its 5G capabilities in the coming months.

Also read: Reliance Jio launches JioFiber post-paid services

JPL had developed 5G technology and infrastructure including radio technology, macro base stations, small cells, indoor cells and core software network (supporting cloud technologies), all internally.

RJio’s moves follow a similar trial by rival Bharti Airtel, which began testing 5G network in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub area in the 3500 Mhz mid-brand spectrum. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had earlier allocated spectrum across four telecom circles – Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi – to Airtel.

Also read: RJio launches new tariff plans starting at Rs 127

Earlier in March, RJio acquired spectrum worth ₹57,123 crore across all the 22 circles, a move that will enable it to provide LTE services and upgrade to 5G at a future date. The company had acquired spectrum in the 800 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 2,300 MHz bands at an effective cost of ₹60.8 crore per MHz.

Also read: With unlimited data plans, RJio may be testing waters for tariff hike: analysts

The company had recently deployed additional spectrum across major circles to provide better connectivity and services.

Related Topics