Overview of Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio Infocomm (Reliance Jio) is India's largest mobile operator, which shook the market in 2016 with disruptive free voice calls and ultra-low-cost 4G data services. With massive infrastructure investments, Jio accumulated over 450 million users in just a few years, becoming one of the operators with the largest user base in the world.
Reliance Industries, controlled by Mukesh Ambani, operates Jio and supplies the capital. Jio built its own 5G stack, Jio True 5G, and started large-scale commercial 5G in 2022. Through JioThings and a wide network, it is pushing digital services in Indian agriculture, manufacturing, and smart cities.
Reliance Jio facts
- Founded: 2007 (commercial service in 2016)
- Headquarters: Mumbai, India
- Users: more than 450 million (first in India)
- Parent: Reliance Industries
- Radio access: 4G VoLTE, 5G NR (its own stack)
- Notable for: its own 5G stack, and work to sell that stack abroad
Core technical capabilities
Its own 5G stack
Jio True 5G is India's first locally developed 5G network technology, and it does not depend on foreign equipment
Agriculture
Agricultural IoT for rural India
Low-cost IoT
Scale that supports the most competitive IoT connection prices in the world
JioCloud
Cloud, AI, and IoT on one platform for enterprise digital services
IoT products
IoT products
JioThings Platform
- IoT device connection management
- Data collection and analysis
- Remote device control
- Templates for industry uses
Jio IoT SIM
- 4G and 5G across India
- Very low-price IoT plans
- eSIM
- Volume discounts for enterprises
Network standards and coverage
| Technology | Band | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4G VoLTE | 700/850/1800/2300 MHz | All 22 telecom circles in India | Main network |
| 5G NR SA | 700/3500 MHz | Expanding in major cities | Its own 5G stack |
| NB-IoT | 700/850 MHz | Deployment still expanding | Low-power sensors |
| LTE-M | 1800 MHz | Being deployed | Mobile IoT |
Industry Solutions
Agricultural IoT
- Soil health monitoring
- Crop pest and disease early warning
- Precision irrigation system
- Agricultural product cold chain tracking
Manufacturing
- Factory connectivity and networking
- Quality monitoring system
- Energy consumption optimization management
- Supply Chain Visualization
Retail Finance
- Mobile Payment Terminal
- Retail POS Network
- ATM Connection Management
- Store Surveillance System
Smart city
- Intelligent Traffic Management
- Public Safety Monitoring
- Municipal Facility IoT
- Urban Digital Twin
Competitive advantages
- Scale: 450 million users, and a very low cost per connection
- Its own 5G: A 5G stack developed in-house, with potential to sell it abroad
- India: A leading place in India's growing IoT market
- Price: The most competitive IoT connection prices in the world
- Rural coverage: A network that reaches deep into rural India
History and milestones
Reliance Jio was established with investments from Reliance Industries, owned by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani. It obtained a telecom license in 2007 and officially launched in September 2016 with a disruptive "free voice calls + ultra-low-cost 4G data" strategy. Within just six months of launch, it surpassed 100 million users, setting a record for the fastest user growth in global telecom history, fundamentally changing the landscape of the Indian telecom market and prompting hundreds of millions of Indian users to upgrade from 2G/3G to 4G.
On IoT, Jio set up the JioThings platform in 2019 and partnered with several global IoT device makers. In 2020 Google invested USD 4.5 billion in Jio Platforms and Facebook invested USD 5.7 billion, which funded further digital work. In October 2022 Jio launched commercial Jio True 5G and said the stack is fully developed in-house, with plans to sell it to operators abroad. In 2023 it sped up nationwide 5G and became one of the fastest 5G build-outs in the world.
Jio IoT in Indian agriculture
India is one of the world's largest agricultural countries, and farm IoT is one of Jio's main lines of work. JioKrishi, its digital agriculture platform, combines sensor data with AI so farmers can see soil condition, weather, and pest and disease warnings. The 4G network reaches rural India, including remote villages. That rural reach is an advantage other operators in India do not match.
Support
Enterprise IoT Support
- JioThings Platform Technical Support
- Dedicated Enterprise Customer Service
- IoT Solution Implementation Support
- Nationwide Onsite Service Network
Developer Ecosystem
- JioDeveloper Platform
- IoT API Documentation
- Startup incubator support
- Joint Innovation Lab
Business support
- Nationwide distributor network
- Government project coordination
- Customized data plan negotiation
- Bulk procurement of large-scale equipment