Reliance Jio Infocomm, the wireless arm of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), is in a position to undertake a small-scale launch of its 4G services in select areas, particularly in Mumbai, by December end.

The company’s network is already up and running, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoFA-ML) said in a note dated December 15.

However, the pan-India commercial launch could be delayed till April or June 2016 to ensure a reliable stable network. In a scenario Jio launches by December 28, it is unsure whether it will be a commercial launch with the company disclosing price-points or an extension of services which are currently being offered to employees and user group, it added.

Jio had been beta testing its 4G services among employees for some time now, with the company offering few months of free data but without pricing the services.

The calls are working well in Mumbai even while travelling and inside buildings with data speeds range from 18-30 MBPS and 60-70 MBPS outside.

“We believe this is largely due to an empty network while Jio currently has. We remain unsure if Jio network is offering similar speeds outside Mumbai particularly in circles where they only have 2300 MHz,” it added.

On Monday, Credit Suisse in a report said that the call experience on RJio's network was similar to offerings of incumbent 3G and 2G operators.

The firm, which performed tests on Reliance Jio’s network in and around Mumbai, data download speeds were consistently at 15-30 MBPs even when travelling (compared with 3G network speeds of sub 2 MBPS).

According to the analyst firm, the Mukesh Ambani group company is likely prioritising urban areas for launch, while the network is in a beta testing phase.

rajesh.kurup@thehindu.co.in

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