Reliance Jio today announced its much-hyped Fiber Broadband services during its 41st Annual General Meeting. The company has also announced a 4K-UHD set-top-box, the 2nd generation of Jio Phone which comes with a QWERTY keypad and ‘Smart Home’ solutions.
JioGigaFiber
Source: Reliance Jio Live Stream Screenshot
Jio’s Fiber Broadband service was most awaited by many since its launch. Finally, the wait comes to an end. With Jio’s entry into fixed-line broadband services, customers can now expect fireworks in this segment as well, as they have witnessed in the mobile internet sector.
JioGigaFiber is expected to offer speeds of up to 1Gbps. The service will roll out in 1,100 cities across the country. Currently, the company is conducting beta trials in selected areas. The service is expected to go live after August 15, 2018. Users can register their interest for JioGigaFiber services starting August 15 on MyJio App and Jio.com. There’s no word on pricing.
JioGigaTV
Reliance Jio also launched a new set-top-box for TV viewers. The company calls it JioGigaTV. The new set-top-box will let you watch your favourite TV channels in 4K resolution. The STB remote includes support for voice commands in most of the Indian languages. The company promises more than 600 movie channels with Movies-On-Demand service.
Source: Reliance Jio Live Stream Broadcast
The 4K UHD set-top-box can also connect to the Internet and supports video conferencing. The company calls it JioTVCall service. This service will allow its users to make Video calls through their TV. Alongside fixed line, Jio’s entry into Cable TV service will ignite fireworks in this space too.
JioPhone 2
Reliance Jio today also launched the second generation of JioPhone, JioPhone 2. The phone features a full QWERTY keypad and a four-way navigation key. The new JioPhone 2 sports a 2.4inch QVGA display and comes with 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage, with an expandable memory slot that supports microSD cards up to 128GB. The handset runs on KAI OS.
Source: Reliance Jio Live Webcast Screenshot
The handset features a 2MP rear camera and a front-facing VGA camera. The handset includes support for 4G VoLTE and VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi), FM, Bluetooth Low Energy, WiFi, GPS and NFC. The device packs a 2,000mAh battery.
The handset will go on sale for ₹ 2,999 starting August 15.
JioSmartHome solutions
Reliance Jio today forayed into Smart Home space by announcing a few smart home accessories which include – audio dongle, video dongle, smart speaker, Wi-Fi extender, smart plug, outdoor security camera, and a TV camera. The company has also announced a smoke sensor, water leak sensor, siren, gas leak sensor, panic button, door sensor, and smart video doorbells.
Source: Reliance Jio AGM Live Webcast Screenshot
The company claims that the all the smart home accessories will be installed in one hour with JioGigaFiber installation. These devices can be controlled via MyJio App. There’s no word on pricing and availability.
JioPhone Monsoon Hungama Offer
Reliance Jio today also announced a new Jio Monsoon Hungama Offer. This offer will be available starting July 21, 2018. Under this offer, feature phone users can exchange their existing phone for a new JioPhone for ₹501.
Source: Reliance Jio Annual General Meeting Live Webcast Screengrab
The company also announced that Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube apps will be available on the existing JioPhone and the new JioPhone 2 starting August 15, 2018.
It would be interesting to see how Jio prices its fixed-line internet service and cable tv service. With Jio’s entry into these sectors, customers can expect tariff wars in the upcoming days, similar to mobile services.