For one of my last posts on Telco 5G in 2023, we continue our examination of publicly available 5G deployments by discussing Reliance Jio. Discussing real-world 5G deployments is important for understanding the technology’s impact, identifying challenges, informing investment decisions, promoting innovation, and building systems understanding. Real-world deployments have shown that 5G can deliver significantly faster mobile broadband speeds than 4G, but early 5G deployments have revealed challenges with network coverage, particularly in rural areas.
Reliance Jio is India’s leading telco (and the world’s third largest) with a massive subscriber base of over 424.5 million across India as of December 2022. This is significant as the rising South Asian economy is the second-largest telecom market worldwide, with a total number of mobile subscribers in India of around 1.14 billion in 2022. Jio has been a pioneer in 5G deployment in India. The company has deployed a nationwide 5G SA network at scale and speed, and it is now offering a wide range of 5G services to consumers and enterprises.
The Background on Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio’s 5G implementation is thus a significant collaboration that has played a crucial role in India’s rapid 5G rollout. Ericsson has been a key partner for Jio in its 5G journey, providing the company with its advanced 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions. Per the article[1] , “Jio entered the mobile broadband market by deploying a greenfield 4G network in 2016. When services were launched in September of that year, the network had already reached 80 percent population coverage, sparking intense competition among service providers and causing strong growth in 4G subscription uptake and data usage. Within 5 months of launch in September 2016, Jio’s 4G subscriptions passed 100 million. By March 2023, total mobile broadband subscriptions in the country had increased to over 830 million, with Jio contributing 53 percent of the base, and skyrocketing average total data usage per subscriber in India from 240 MB to 17.4 GB per month over the same period. Consequently, India’s share of global mobile data traffic increased from around 3 percent to 20 percent during this time.”
Jio’s Standalone 5G Network
Jio’s 5G implementation is illuminative to study in several aspects:
- Jio has demonstrated its expertise in 5G technology by successfully planning, deploying, and optimizing its 5G network. The company has overcome numerous challenges and achieved its ambitious 5G rollout goals.
- Jio has built a high-performance 5G network by utilizing cutting-edge 5G RAN products, including base stations, antennas, and software solutions. This network can handle the growing demand for data traffic and deliver exceptional performance to its customers.
- Jio has optimized its 5G network for performance and efficiency, ensuring that its customers receive the best possible experience. The company has leveraged its expertise in network optimization to achieve this goal.
- Jio has been a pioneer in 5G Standalone (SA) technology, considered the true form of 5G. The company’s bold decision to adopt 5G SA from the outset has been a success, thanks in part to its collaboration with Ericsson.
- Jio and Ericsson have a strong collaborative relationship that extends beyond the deployment of the 5G network. The two companies are working together to develop and test new 5G use cases and applications, further advancing the 5G landscape.
Jio’s 5G network [1] is delivering significant benefits to customers, including faster speeds, lower latency, and improved network performance. The company is also working with partners to develop new and innovative 5G use cases.
How does Jio plan to monetize their standalone 5G Network
Jio’s 5G Standalone (SA) network presents a significant opportunity for diverse business ventures, spanning immediate deployments like cloud gaming and 360-degree live streaming to future immersive XR experiences.
B2C Services:
While slicing-based B2C services are still undergoing development, Jio has already launched consumer-facing solutions like JioGamesCloud and JioGamesESports, positioned to greatly benefit from network slicing technology. These services leverage the high speeds and low latency of 5G SA to offer engaging and competitive gaming experiences.
XR Applications:
Jio is actively expanding its service portfolio, with a focus on XR technology. The launch of the JioDive VR headset and JioImmerse content library demonstrates this commitment, providing access to a vast array of VR applications and experiences. This includes initiatives like providing virtual 360-degree stadium views for major sporting events. Jio’s goal is to continuously enrich its content portfolio and cater to a diverse user base seeking interactive and immersive experiences.
B2B Opportunities:
Jio believes XR applications will dominate sectors like gaming, social media, entertainment, retail, education, healthcare, and manufacturing in the coming years. To remain ahead of the curve, Jio is continuously evolving its 5G network capabilities alongside the advancement of XR technology.
Beyond consumer-facing solutions, Jio is actively pursuing B2B opportunities. These include slicing-based services tailored to specific industries, such as dedicated network slices for enterprise operations, specific events, or locations. Collaboration with enterprise partners is crucial for defining use cases and ensuring end-to-end management capabilities for multiple slices, encompassing both the network and the OSS/BSS ecosystem.
Jio has already initiated 5G deployments in various industries, including oil and gas, and manufacturing. Testing is also underway in areas like:
- Healthcare
- Public safety and emergency response
- Secure enterprise applications and services
- Remote operations
- Digital twins
- Media broadcasting
Jio acknowledges the evolving nature of the B2B2C ecosystem and emphasizes collaborative partnerships with relevant players to refine propositions, establish robust end-to-end management mechanisms, and ensure the success of future B2B2C offerings.
Technical considerations:
- Collaborative definition of use cases with enterprise partners
- Network and OSS/BSS ecosystem preparedness for end-to-end management of multiple slices
- Leveraging slicing technology for dedicated network slices in specific industries
- The continuous evolution of 5G network capabilities alongside advancements in XR technology
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the key takeaways from the article:
- Jio’s 5G SA network is the fastest and largest nationwide mid-band 5G rollout outside of China.
- Jio has offloaded significant traffic from the 4G to 5G network, improving the experience of its 4G customers.
- Jio is actively working with device partners and application providers to build innovative services in various sectors, including healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, and security and surveillance solutions.
- Jio has deployed a fully automated service management and orchestration function, that enables it to deploy, test, and productionize new services using network slicing in a very short time frame.
- Jio continues to evolve its 5G network capabilities along with the evolution of XR applications.
Network Slicing: Still the main monetization model for 5G
We have discussed network slicing in a few posts: https://www.vamsitalkstech.com/tag/network-slicing/. And as Jio’s experience illustrates, bringing slicing-based services to market faces several challenges, primarily due to the rapid evolution of use cases across consumer and enterprise domains. These use cases must remain relevant and impactful for customers, requiring continuous innovation and adaptation to meet the ever-changing demands of the market.
Implementing slicing solutions necessitates modifications to operations support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS). These systems must become agile and flexible to support dynamic slicing, including provisioning, monitoring, billing, and quality assurance processes that align with the dynamic nature of slicing services. Efficient management and maintenance of network slices are crucial for delivering a seamless customer experience.
Addressing the go-to-market challenges for slicing services requires a focus on staying abreast of evolving use cases, ensuring device compatibility, and adapting OSS/BSS processes to meet the unique demands of this innovative technology. Successfully addressing these challenges is essential for service providers to effectively bring slicing-based services to market and deliver value to customers.
Conclusion
Thanks to their technology leadership and expertise, Jio is well-positioned to capitalize on the growth of the 5G market in India. The company has a strong track record of innovation, and as you can see from the above, they’re committed to providing their customers with the best possible 5G experience. The next blog post will discuss the overall technology architecture of the Jio 5G deployment.
References
[1] Large-scale 5G SA deployment to drive digital transformation in India – https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/mobility-report/articles/5g-standalone-india-jio