Mukesh Ambani announces high-speed broadband, Jio Phone 2 with WhatsApp, FB

Reliance Industries Limited announced on Thursday the launch of high-speed Jio GigaFiber broadband, which aims to boost fixed-line connectivity in India, and an upgraded version of its Jio Phone with popular social media apps such as Facebook.

At its 41st Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced the broadband for homes and enterprises across 1,100 cities and an e-commerce platform that may rival the likes of Amazon. He also spelt out the milestones achieved by Jio, which has disrupted the telecom industry and triggered a price war.

The fixed-line broadband will offer "ultra-high-definition entertainment on large screen TVs, multi-party video conferencing from your living room, voice-activated virtual assistants, virtual reality gaming, digital shopping, immersive experiences", said Ambani, India’s richest man.

The service will come directly to homes, unlike in most cases where the fibre reaches only until the building. The last few meters of end connectivity is usually done using the traditional cable, which reduces the speed and user experience.

"While India has pole-vaulted into global leadership in the mobile broadband space...we still lag behind significantly in fixed-line broadband. India is ranked quite low at 134th in the global ranking for fixed broadband. Poor fixed-line infrastructure has been a key reason for this," Ambani said.