Why in news?
Reliance Industries has recently announced the details of Jio's upcoming high-speed broadband internet service, Jio Fiber.
What are the key features of Jio Fiber?
- Pricing - Jio Fiber broadband plans will come bundled with a landline connection, HD or 4K set-top box and access to Jio's Internet of Things (IoT).
- The subscription to Jio Fiber will start from Rs. 700 a month, with internet speed starting from 100 Mbps.
- The average fixed-line download speed in the US, the most developed economy in the world, is around 90 Mbps.
- The Rs. 10,000 plan targets 'power users'.
- Fixed line connection - Reliance has promised free voice calls for life from the fixed line connection.
- Jio is also bringing down the cost of international voice calling and will offer unlimited ISD calling to US, Canada at Rs. 500/month.
- Set-top-box - A set-top box will allow access to possibly the largest collection of TV channels.
- This is facilitated by Jio’s acquisition of three multiple system operators (MSOs) - DEN, Hathway and GTPL.
- The landline, broadband and set-top-box would all be connected via fibre-optic cables.
- First Day First Show - Jio will introduce a concept of watching movies that it calls 'Jio First Day First Show'.
- The service will be launched in mid-2020 and it will let Premium Jio Fiber users to watch movies as soon as they are released in theatres.
- Free 4K TV with Jio Forever - Jio will come up with Jio Forever plans for customers opting for annual plans.
- Such long-term subscribers will get an HD or 4K LED TV and a 4K set-top box absolutely free.
- Gaming - Jio will support console gaming with compatibility for all gaming controllers.
- The set-top box will come with a built-in graphics card.
- Jio has also partnered with companies like Tencent Games and Microsoft to bring in more games in the future.
- It also promises zero latency (time delay) gaming with its set-top box.
- Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality (VR and MR) - Jio’s set-top box will be equipped to support VR and MR content in different categories like shopping, education and movies.
- E.g. MR shopping will let users experience the clothes they wish to purchase
- Jio will also launch its Holoboard MR headset soon. The MR headset is developed by Tessarect, a start-up Jio invested in recently.
- Jio IoT - Jio says that it has developed an innovative service on its pan-India 4G network called Narrowband Internet-of-Things or NBIoT.
- Using this service with smart sensors whether residential, industrial or public, Reliance is looking to connect the whole of India.
- Jio claims the service will be commercially available from January 1, 2020.
- Within 2 years of launch, Jio estimates that there will be more than 2 billion connected IoT devices in India.
- The company, at least, aims to connect one billion of those through Jio’s IoT platform.
Source: Livemint
