Reliance Jio already launched 5G in 191 towns and cities across India

Indian carrier Reliance Jio announced the launch of its 5G services across all six states of the North-East circle, the company said in a release.

The telco’s 5G offering was activated in the cities  of Shillong, Imphal, Aizawl, Agartala, Itanagar, Kohima and Dimapur.

By December 2023, Jio True 5G services will be made available in every town and city of the North-Eastern states, the carrier says.

Reliance Jio noted that 5G technology will bring significant benefits to the people of the North-East, particularly in the field of healthcare. Additionally, it will enhance various sectors such as agriculture, education, e-governance, IT, SME, automation, artificial intelligence and gaming, among others, according to the carrier.

Jio True 5G service has already reached 191 cities in less than 4 months of its beta launch, the telco said.

Jio is offering the 5G connectivity on an invitational basis, with users living in 5G-enabled cities who have 5G compatible smartphones receiving invitations.

The telco had initially announced the launch of the beta trial of its 5G services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi in October. Jio is offering 5G through a Standalone network architecture.

Last year, Reliance Jio Infocomm announced 5G contracts with Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia. The deal with Ericsson marked the first partnership between Jio and Ericsson for Radio Access Network deployment in the country.

Ericsson said that its energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in Jio’s 5G network.

Meanwhile, Nokia said that it has been selected as a major supplier by Reliance Jio to supply 5G Radio Access Network equipment from its AirScale portfolio countrywide in a multi-year deal.

Reliance Jio had previously secured a mix of wireless spectrum for 5G across 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26 GHz bands. Jio is the only operator with the 700 MHz low-band spectrum.

Jio, which is offering 5G services via Standalone (SA) architecture, has announced plans to reach nationwide coverage with 5G by December next year.

Indian operators Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel have deployed nearly 33,000 base stations for 5G services as of the end of the year, local press reported.

In December alone, the two carriers deployed around 10,000 5G base stations nationwide, according to sources in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The Ministry of Communications previously reported that these two operators had deployed 21,000 base stations for 5G services as of November 26.

The report also stated that capital Delhi concentrates nearly one third of all 5G base stations in the country.