Reliance Jio turns one: From a disruptive 4G telecom player to a network leader in one year
It may have been a slow, long year for the telecom industry in India, but Reliance Jio, the latest entrant, will be able to claim the contrary: that in a very short span of time, it has travelled very far. Jio came, disrupted the market and now a year later, it still continues to do so with the recent launch of the JioPhone, a 4G feature phone for the masses.
Reliance Jio's journey started off back in December of 2015. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani at the Jio introduction event broke the news that the company's Jio 4G network was finally up and running and that lucky employees (numbering over one-lakh plus) were the first customers to take India's first 4G all IP network for a test drive.
From speeds never seen before, to crystal clear voice calls, Jio employees got a taste of India's first truly 4G LTE network. Soon enough, Jio's confidence began to grow, with families of these employees on-boarded on to the beta-testing program. The company wanted to test out its network to fix possible glitches before a wider public roll out.
Later in January 2016, Reliance Jio began the roll out of its Wi-Fi service. The high-speed Wi-Fi services called Jionet. The service was launched by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the occasion of Jio Amaravati Marathon. Back then, Jio's claims were pretty high. According to a PTI report, Reliance claimed that Jio 4G will deliver 10 times higher download speed and 4 times better upload speed compared to others.
Incumbent telcos began to feel the pinch of Jio's presence in the space, especially when Jio signed up with Reliance Communications to increase its spectrum footprint
Come March 2016, Jio's affordable and budget LYF branded 4G smartphones began to enter the market in preparation for the launch of its 4G services. Back then, the launch was expected to take place in the second half of 2016.
Sadly, the mid-year launch did not take place. Around May of 2016, Reliance announced a Jio referral program. The program allowed beta users to invite 10 friends to experience Jio services. However, there was a catch. While the referral program allowed plenty more users to access the Jio bouquet of services (JioPlay, JioBeats, JioMags, JioNews and so on), news users had to purchase a LYF smartphone to jump on to the same. Getting an invite was a big deal indeed, with invites sent being valid only for 15 days.
A month later, Jio.com went live with the Jio bouquet of apps (MyJio, JioChat, JioPlay, JioOnDemand, JioBeats, JioMags, JioXpressNews, JioDrive, JioJoin, JioMoney and JioSecurity) becoming available on both the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). The services, however, were only accessible by the lucky few who had managed to get on the Jio network through the referral program.
With more and more users vying for a Jio connection, existing operators began to feel the pinch. Vodafone, for example, began slashing its data rates, followed by others in anticipation for the Jio launch.
Reliance soon began opening up the Jio Preview Offer to other devices with 4G bands as well. Beginning with Samsung and LG smartphones, Jio soon hauled in a long list of manufacturers to support its LTE network.
From speeds never seen before, to crystal clear voice calls, Jio employees got a taste of India's first truly 4G LTE network. Soon enough, Jio's confidence began to grow, with families of these employees on-boarded on to the beta-testing program. The company wanted to test out its network to fix possible glitches before a wider public roll out.
Later in January 2016, Reliance Jio began the roll out of its Wi-Fi service. The high-speed Wi-Fi services called Jionet. The service was launched by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the occasion of Jio Amaravati Marathon. Back then, Jio's claims were pretty high. According to a PTI report, Reliance claimed that Jio 4G will deliver 10 times higher download speed and 4 times better upload speed compared to others.
Incumbent telcos began to feel the pinch of Jio's presence in the space, especially when Jio signed up with Reliance Communications to increase its spectrum footprint
Come March 2016, Jio's affordable and budget LYF branded 4G smartphones began to enter the market in preparation for the launch of its 4G services. Back then, the launch was expected to take place in the second half of 2016.
Sadly, the mid-year launch did not take place. Around May of 2016, Reliance announced a Jio referral program. The program allowed beta users to invite 10 friends to experience Jio services. However, there was a catch. While the referral program allowed plenty more users to access the Jio bouquet of services (JioPlay, JioBeats, JioMags, JioNews and so on), news users had to purchase a LYF smartphone to jump on to the same. Getting an invite was a big deal indeed, with invites sent being valid only for 15 days.
A month later, Jio.com went live with the Jio bouquet of apps (MyJio, JioChat, JioPlay, JioOnDemand, JioBeats, JioMags, JioXpressNews, JioDrive, JioJoin, JioMoney and JioSecurity) becoming available on both the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). The services, however, were only accessible by the lucky few who had managed to get on the Jio network through the referral program.
With more and more users vying for a Jio connection, existing operators began to feel the pinch. Vodafone, for example, began slashing its data rates, followed by others in anticipation for the Jio launch.
Reliance soon began opening up the Jio Preview Offer to other devices with 4G bands as well. Beginning with Samsung and LG smartphones, Jio soon hauled in a long list of manufacturers to support its LTE network.
