India’s Reliance Jio is reportedly gunning for the launch of FTTH (fibre to the home) broadband before the end of March.
The operator is currently trialling the service – originally scheduled for commercial launch at the end of last year - in ten major cities ahead of a planned launch in 30 urban areas, which will provide a potential base of 100 million households. The operator is expecting its FTTH service to deliver rates of 100Mb/s.
The tests form part of Jio’s broader strategy to expand its service offering, with the operator expected to include its TV service as part of the launch. In addition to JioTV, the operator also offers the JioChat messaging app, JioMoney banking service and JioPhone low-cost handset.
Jio’s entry into the Indian market in September 2016 saw a dramatic shake-up as it offered free and heavily discounted voice and data access, forcing operators to lower their prices and prompting a spate of consolidation that is still underway. Its tactics appear to be the same, as it has advertised three months of free access to JioFibre for any customers that sign up before the launch.
