Jio Fiber launch: Mukesh Ambani's fibre Internet service set to disrupt home connectivity, entertainment

Reliance Jio Fiber is set to roll out commercially starting today. The optical fibre-based broadband service is expected to disrupt the industry with its high-speed connectivity at affordable pricing. Since its entry in the telecom space, this is the biggest launch for Reliance Industries.

Also check: Jio Fiber launch LIVE

Reliance Jio Fiber would offer plans starting at Rs 700 at 100 Mbps. The detailed information about the data plans and their pricing would be revealed later today. The only information available so far is that the base plan would start at Rs 700 with 100 Mbps speed and go up to Rs 10,000 for the 1Gbps plan. Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Limited  (RIL) also claimed Reliance JioFiber plans will be priced at 1/10th the global rate.

At the Reliance Industries Limited Annual General Meeting (RIL AGM), Ambani announced a bunch of freebies and offers. The Reliance Jio Fiber Welcome Offer would include a Full HD Television or a Home PC alongside a 4K set-top box for customers who opt for the annual plan called Jio Forever Plan. 

The Jio set-top-box will allow Jio Fiber users to access television services and also enjoy a console-like gaming experience. The Jio set-top box, which also has built-in graphics, is claimed to support almost all gaming controllers and also supports virtual controllers on smartphones. It also comes with Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) compatibility.

The Jio Fiber Welcome Offer also includes a fixed-line service called Jio Home Phone. The service would offer international calling with ‘lowest fixed-line rates’. Ambani announced that the tariffs for Jio Home Phone would be one-fifth to one-tenth of existing tariff standards. Existing Jio Fiber users and new Jio Fiber customers would also get an International calling pack at Rs 500 per month for making calls in USA and Canada.

Alongside these freebies, Jio Fiber customers can also avail the benefits of consuming content from premium OTT platforms. As a part of this Jio First-Day-First-Show bundled offer, customers can watch movies at their homes on the same day the movie has been released. Reliance plans to roll out these benefits starting mid-2020.

Jio Fiber, then known as Reliance Jio GigaFiber, has been under beta-testing for a year and has received over 15 million registrations from nearly 1,600 towns. Reliance is still accepting Jio Fiber registrations on its website. The Jio Fiber registration process includes entering the home or work address and personal details on the website.

When it comes to the competition, Tata and Airtel are the most popular brands offering broadband services. However, neither of the companies come close to the 1000Mbps broadband speed and the pricing that JioFiber offers. 

Tata's Tele Broadband plan for 100Mbps and 300GB data is priced at Rs 1,299. Airtel's Entertainment plan offers 100Mbps and 300GB data for Rs 1,099. Airtel's 300Mbps plan with a 600GB data cap can be purchased for Rs 1,599. 

Call it the Jio Fiber-effect, Airtel has launched its Xstream platform comprising video streaming apps for the home entertainment segment. The service includes a set-top-box for watching content available on the Airtel Xstream app, formerly Airtel TV, on television sets and desktops.

Got any questions? We’ve listed out a set of frequently asked questions and their answers related to Reliance Jio Fiber.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd