Ambani plans to roll out 5G in India starting December ‘23

Mumbai: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani said his oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries will roll out 5G services across India from December next year that will be “more affordable than anywhere else in the world.”

Reliance is vying to become the first in the nation to offer 5G after investing billions of dollars to acquire the airwaves. The technology can bring affordable, superior education and skill development to ordinary Indians and deliver high-quality healthcare to rural and remote areas, Ambani said on Saturday at India Mobile Congress, a technology and media forum.

“India may have started a little late, but we’ll finish first by rolling out 5G services that are of higher quality and more affordable,” Ambani said at the event, which was jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India.

Reliance Industries in August said it will invest Rs2 trillion ($24.6 billion) to roll out 5G across India as the conglomerate continues to expand and diversify into newer businesses. It said telecom unit Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. will deploy a “standalone 5G” version that doesn’t depend on the earlier 4G network and will deliver speedier connectivity.

Reliance hopes countrywide deployment of 5G will help woo high-paying wireless users and boost its e-commerce and media business even though the technology hasn’t yet proven profitable for other Asian wireless operators.

“5G is much more than just the next generation of connectivity technology,” Ambani said in his speech. “It is a foundational technology that unlocks the full potential of other transformative technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Robotics, Blockchain, and Metaverse.”