Reliance Jio plans to launch Fiber broadband, TV early next year in 30 cities: Report

The 4G entrant will bundle its TV service with FTTH broadband to tap over 100 million TV households across these cities, including Tier II and III, the report said. It further said that Jio will cover 50 million households in the first phase of roll out.

NEW DELHI: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is likely to launch high-speed fibre to the home (FTTH) broadband in more than 30 cities early next year, Business Standard reported.

The 4G entrant will bundle its TV service with FTTH broadband to tap over 100 million TV households across these cities, including Tier II and III, the report said. It further said that Jio will cover 50 million households in the first phase of roll out.

Jio, which has already garnered over 120 million 4G wireless subscribers, has already spread out over 300,000 kilometres of optic fibre in the country. The report said that half of 30,000 kms of this fiber is through a long-term contract with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications.

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RIL had earlier said that Jio initiated fiber to the home or FTTH beta trials in select areas of of 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Surat and Vadodara. The JioFiber network is capable to carry data speed up to 1 Gbps.

The company is identifying mega clusters such as high-rise residential apartments and commercial establishments as a part of its phase-II expansion programme to connect 100 locations by December.

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It is providing a special router, which connects multiple devices at a refundable deposit of Rs 4,500. With a multi-service operator (MSO) licence in place, it will also offer TV services, the report said. The trials are only on an invite and feasibility basis.

The report said that Jio is targetting an average revenue per user of around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month from subscribers.

Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani had earlier this year said that optical fibre and fixed line broadband is a next big monetisation opportunity for Reliance Jio. "Jio remains on track to bring optic fiber connectivity to enterprises, home and public place. Most infratstructure is already in place," he had said in July, adding that the company will inform shareholders on the progress.