Reliance Jio develops own 5G network technology: report
11 Mar 2020
Reliance Jio looks all set to disrupt the current 5G ecosystem, reportedly having developed its own ‘end-to-end’ 5G technologies and, in the process, giving a big boost to `Make In India’.
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is reported to have developed its own 4G and 5G end-to-end systems, reducing its dependence on foreign vendors of telecom equipment and network technologies.
Report say Reliance Jio has already replaced 4G network technologies developed by Nokia and Oracle for driving its 4G voice services with its own in-house technologies, and is now in the process o carrying out 5G trials based on its own technology.
An Economic Times report citing a Reliance Jio executive said the company is more scalable than telecom gear vendors and are fully automated with its own cloud-native platform. “In 5G, we will totally be self-sufficient,” the report quoted the official as saying.
Jio, according to the report, has designed its own hardware for the 5G technology, which could be made in India once 5G trials are successful. “We can give the design, layouts and board support packages to third-party manufacturers to have our gear made,” the executive was quoted as saying.
While the technology will mainly be the base for Reliance Jio’s broadband and voice services, the executive said Jio would be able to use this technology for security and surveillance using drones, industrial internet of things and digitisation in the agriculture sector as well.
The company is reported to have made a presentation to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the technology developed by it and its possible use and has sought permission to conduct 5G trials based on it.
Reliance Jio had, earlier, applied for carrying out trials in partnerships with European vendors Nokia and Ericsson, China-based Huawei and South Korean giant Samsung.
The development while sounds good for India and its telecom industry, could be a damper for industry heavyweights such as Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei. The new technology, which lets software undermine hardware on the technology front, will be a big negative for telecom gear suppliers as it would steal them of the potential profits Jio would otherwise have offered.