Jio is expected to launch the Jio AirFiber FWA device at its upcoming annual general meeting
Indian telco Reliance Jio Infocomm is expected to launch its fixed wireless access (FWA) offering in the coming days after rival telco Airtel launched the Xtream AirFiber FWA device earlier this month.
According to a report by local newspaper Economic Times, Jio is expected to launch the Jio AirFiber FWA device at its upcoming annual general meeting, where it has made key announcements in the past, including the launch of its 4G and 5G services.
Jio has already started testing the device in some cities where its 5G services are fully operational. The devices have reportedly been sent to selected users, including some of the company’s employees, for testing, according to local press reports.
Reliance Jio Infocomm recently said it has created a dedicated 5G network slice for the provision of its 5G fixed wireless access solution. The Indian telco aims to reach 100 million connected premises in India with its FWA offering.
Bharti Airtel recently said that its 5G-based Airtel Xstream AirFiber offering is already available for its customers in Delhi and Mumbai. The operator said that the new service, which will offer internet to consumers in fiber dark areas, will address the last-mile connectivity issue in both rural and urban India where access to fiber infrastructure is a challenge.
Airtel noted that Xstream AirFiber is a plug-and-play device, with built-in Wi-Fi 6 technology that will offer wide indoor coverage and can simultaneously connect up to 64 devices. Airtel said it plans to launch the service in multiple cities and scale up nationally in phases.
Reliance Jio Infocomm has been rapidly expanding its 5G network using Standalone (SA) architecture since October 2022. The telco has already deployed its 5G service in 6,258 cities across 36 states in India, according to the carrier’s website.
Reliance Jio had previously secured a mix of wireless spectrum for 5G across the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands. Jio is the only Indian operator with the 700 MHz low-band spectrum.
