Mukesh Ambani’s Vision for India’s Digital Revolution

Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), stated that by 2020 all mobile phones in India would be connected via the 4G network. During the inaugural session of the India Mobile Congress 2018, he also stated that India would soon be one of the “top three nations in fixed broadband”. He further stated that India would be among the first countries to adopt ultrafast 5G services.

Mukesh Ambani’s statement

Mukesh Ambani stated that by 2020, every Indian citizen would have access to 4G connectivity. India has risen from its 155th position in mobile broadband penetration. Currently, it is the number one country in the world in mobile data consumption. India has achieved this feat in less than two years. Ambani stated that this is the fastest transition globally from 2G and 3G to 4G.

Ambani also stated that India has the 135^th position in fixed broadband. However, it will rise from this rank at a pace that “would surprise” the world.

According to Mukesh Ambani, the “digital connectivity revolution” will transform the rural parts of the country. In the past eight months, approximately 50 million villagers have received affordable smartphones. He also stated that Reliance Jio’s JioGigaFiber service would offer complete “fixed-mobile convergence”. This means that users will be able to move seamlessly between both networks. Therefore, Reliance Jio’s objective is to offer Wi-Fi when indoors and 4G and 5G coverage while on the go. Ambani stated that he is excited for India’s digital revolution to transform villages, especially in areas like rural enterprises and agriculture. This will empower marginalized communities and women in particular.

Ambani called on businesses and enterprises to adopt “an India First vision” to help make the country one of the world’s largest digital markets. With this, India would lead the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”.

The growth of Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio, the telecom wing of RIL, began operations in 2016. Currently, it has more than 250 million subscribers. The company has more than 50 percent market share and is India’s largest mobile broadband company. To facilitate its entry into the home broadband space with the Reliance JioGigaFiber fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service it recently acquired majority stakes in Hathway Cable and DEN Networks.

Mukesh Ambani stated that Reliance Jio is committed to building a network of deep-fiber across India to enable connectivity between every premise with high-quality network services.

The digital future of India

Mukesh Ambani stated that India’s digital future envisions 1.3 billion connected Indians. This future will be built on the pillars of data, computing, and connectivity. Additionally, according to Ambani, the future will be created and powered by a range of path-breaking digital technologies such as blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented reality.

Summary: Mukesh Ambani has stated that every Indian will have access to a 4G-enabled mobile phone by 2020. He also stated that India will be one of the top three countries in fixed broadband and will adopt 5G services before other countries.

Reliance Jio Users to Receive Access to ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) Content

Reliance Jio, the telecom wing of the Mukesh-Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has signed an agreement with ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). This collaboration is in an effort to bring access to ZEE’s entire library of content to Reliance Jio users. To achieve this objective, the two parties will jointly market the content offerings by utilizing consumer-facing touchpoints, which are independent.

Details of the collaboration

ZEEL stated that 227 million Reliance Jio subscribers will gain access to 37 live TV channels. They will also gain access to the content of ZEE5, which is the video over-the-top (OTT) app of the ZEE TV network. ZEE5 produces original content, including short films and web-series, among others. Reliance Jio users will also be able to download content to watch at their leisure.

Statements of key people

Amit Goenka, the CEO of Z5 Global and ZEE International, stated that ZEE intends to create engaging and rich content for its viewers across India as well as the world. This is their primary objective as content creators. The new collaboration with Reliance Jio will facilitate this goal. Goenka further stated that Reliance Jio’s expansive reach could help entertain a broader base of viewers, who have an appetite for content on-the-go, which is of good quality. Akash Ambani, the Director of Reliance Jio, stated that the telecom company is committed to providing its consumers with strong content from India and around the globe. This will facilitate the mission of boosting digital inclusion in the country.

Reliance Jio’s foray into the content space

In addition to content from ZEEL, the telecom company has made agreements with other broadcasters, so that their content can be brought to Reliance Jio users as well. One such broadcaster is Viacom18.

Reliance Jio has also collaborated with Star India is to bring cricket content to all 4G users on Hotstar and the JioTV platform across the country. This collaboration intends to cover one-day internationals (ODIs), T20 matches, and premier domestic competitions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

About Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio is a telecom network and digital ecosystem that enables Indians to experience a digital life. The ecosystem is made up of smart devices, strong broadband networks, customer-oriented services, and useful applications. In terms of media, the telecom company’s offerings include programs of recorded and live sports, music, television, events, and movies. This presents a very comprehensive library.

Reliance Jio has three pillars that aim to transform the country’s digital future. The first pillar is a strong network coverage across urban and rural areas. The second pillar is quality services for its subscribers, in terms of HD quality voice, video streaming, and high-speed internet speeds. The third pillar is affordable services that are accessible to citizens in all parts of the country.

Summary: Reliance Jio and ZEEL have collaborated to bring ZEE TV network’s content to Reliance Jio users. The objective of this is to provide consumers with strong quality content across India.

Reliance Jio Provides eSIM Connection for iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Users

Reliance Jio, the telecom wing of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is providing an Embedded-Subscriber Identity Model (eSIM) connection for postpaid and prepaid users of the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models. This is in an effort to make India a technologically savvy nation and boost the digital progress of India with the eSIM technology.

Reliance Jio’s eSIM connection for the new iPhones

The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the first phones from Apple that have the capability to support the dual-sim functionality. However, Apple offers the secondary slim slot as eSIM only. eSIM is a technology that comes pre-installed on a device. It cannot be pulled out like normal SIM cards because it is a virtual SIM card. Therefore, users have the benefit of remotely activating their eSIM connection. For example, users do not have to change the network operators physically. They can make the switch remotely.

Reliance Jio is an official eSIM carrier for Apple in India. Reliance Jio is now offering both postpaid and prepaid connections for the two new iPhone models. The telecom company has stated that it is also the only prepaid eSIM provider for the new iPhone models.

Details of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max

The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the latest iPhone models introduced by Apple Inc. in September 2018. Both models are available in three storage variants of 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. The lowest-costing iPhone XS is priced at INR 99,900 and the highest-costing variant is priced at INR 1,34,900. The lowest-costing iPhone XS Max is priced at 1,09,000, while the high-costing variant is priced at 1,44,900.

Details of Reliance Jio’s first pre-order of the new iPhone models

The first pre-order for both new iPhone models was held between September 21, 2018, and September 27, 2018, via Jio.com. Interested customers were able to order both the iPhone models by visiting the MyJio app as well. Alternatively, they could pre-order the phones from Reliance Digital and MyJio stores.

To pre-order the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max on Jio.com, customers had to visit the website and select the available iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max variant they were interested in. After they entered their pin-code, customers proceeded to checkout, where they entered their personal details, like name, mobile number, and email address. After this, they selected the desired payment option and made the payment. Once payment was completed, customers received a pre-order confirmation notification via text message or email.

On purchase of these iPhone models, Reliance Jio offered free shipping and delivery as well. The iPhones models purchased by these customers were shipped within three to five business day from September 28, 2018.

Summary: Both postpaid and prepaid customers can obtain an eSIM from Reliance Jio to use on their new 2018-iPhone models. This is in an effort to boost the digital progress in India and make the country a technologically savvy nation.