Reliance Jio is an upcoming telecom and broadband operator which serves as the digital arm of parent company Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) led by
Mukesh Ambani. Its services are currently in the beta phase and Jio is expected to commercially launch the same later this year.
Jio is set to offer users high-speed data, HD voice calling facilities and access to its content platforms. In order to enhance its 4G speed and create a seamless browsing experience, Reliance Jio is carrying out aggregation trials across its entire spectrum band.
Reliance Jio’s spectrum
At an investor presentation, parent company RIL stated that Jio is currently operating in over 200,000 villages and 18,000 cities across the country. It is supported by the 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz spectrum band and plans to expand in 18 telecom circles on the 800 MHz band over the next two months.
A company source said that Jio has reached 100% network availability and is presently capable of handling heavy voice and data sessions.
Aggregation technology in India
LTE-Advanced technology also called LTE-A, refers to the carrier aggregation across the spectrum which is operational in certain states across India like Kerala. Jio hopes to increase the extent of this technology to all the telecom circles of the country.
Industry analysts have reported that carrier aggregation with LTE-Advanced technology will soon dominate the Indian market. Service operators in the country have holdings across spectrum bands like 800 MHz and 2300 MHz, or 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz which are extremely pliable in terms of the incorporation of LTE-A technology.
Carrier aggregation
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is conducting trials across all spectrum bands in order to create a steady and speedy 4G user experience. This will be done through the development of larger airwave blocks on a virtual level. An RIL spokesperson stated that the trials have already begun on all Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) frequencies.
The carrier aggregation technology would help boost the efficient functioning of Jio’s spectrum. The technology combines the capacities of all LTE carriers. These carriers may be within the same spectrum band or fall under different frequencies. The same would enable optimal spectrum utilization thereby providing superior speeds.
LTE-A and LTE-U
LTE-A will help Jio deliver higher 4G LTE speeds. This upgrade would guarantee the users, two to three times faster data experience due to the pooling of inter and intra spectrum bands. Users possessing LTE-enabled devices stand to greatly benefit from this technology.
Jio may also make use of LTE-U technology which had been developed by Qualcomm. It helps operators utilize unlicensed spectrum and in turn would share the network’s burden, thereby distributing traffic, and making the experience smoother.
Commercial launch
Several analysts have predicted the launch of Jio’s services to occur around the Indian Independence Day. Leading brokerage firm CLSA, however, believes that the telecom operator will be fully functional by late 2016. The firm stated that Jio may launch during the festive period which is around October.
Summary
Reliance Jio’s network spectrum is undergoing carrier aggregation trials in order to boost its 4G speed and enhance customer experience.