Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator in terms of subscribers, has now reached over 12 cities with its 5G networks. The telco is working aggressively to launch 5G across India by December 2023. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Jio is deploying 5G SA (standalone), which requires a larger capex than 5G NSA (non-standalone), which Bharti Airtel is deploying. On Wednesday, Jio said that it had launched 5G in Pune, Maharashtra. In a release, Jio said that until and unless a large part of the city isn’t covered with its 5G SA network; it doesn’t launch 5G beta testing there. Because of this statement, it is now easy for us to assume that all the cities where Jio has already launched 5G beta testing are covered extensively with 5G. While there’s no way for us to verify this, for now, it would make it a very convenient experience for consumers who are getting the Welcome Offer from Jio and consuming 5G data at no extra cost. Jio said, “Jio begins Beta testing of its True 5G network in a city only when a large part of the city is covered by its StandAlone True 5G network, so that Jio customers get good coverage and experience the most advanced Jio 5G network.” Bharti Airtel has commercially launched 5G in multiple markets as well. But the thing with Airtel’s 5G is that it is only available in a few locations of the city, wherever it has launched. Jio has also made bold claims to cover the entire Kolkata in a short span with its 5G networks. Only time will tell whether the telcos will walk the talk or are these just empty promises. For now, things are rolling pretty fast, and multiple cities have already received the 5G coverage. More than a million users of Airtel have already experienced its 5G.
