Reliance Jio Seeks Government Permission For 5G Trials: Report

Reliance Jio is known for providing the fastest 4G speed in the country, and it offers its services in all 22 circles. Now, it has been reported that the telco is gearing up for the 5G network. Jio has reportedly approached the Department of Telecom for the trials.

"If the 5G technology trials are successful, the design and technology for the equipment may be outsourced for manufacturing," a source close to the development was reported by Business Standard. Notably, Reliance Jio wants to use its technology for the trials.

The government has recently asked all operators to submit their proposals before the trials. Almost all operators have submitted their proposals to the government. Both Airtel and the Vodafone-Idea have joined with Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson while Reliance Jio partnered with Samsung. However, Reliance Jio has recently said that it is open for all and will do trials with Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, and Samsung.

No Fixed Timeline For Trials

The DOT has not made any announcement on the trials so far. The ministry has lined up many meetings with operators and equipment makers, but there is nothing from them. The trials were supposed to happen in 2019, but somehow it is still stuck due to the high pricing set by the TRAI.

As per the regulator, operators have to shell out Rs. 492 crore for 1 MHz of the spectrum which means if an operator buys a 100 Mhz of the spectrum they have to pay close to Rs. 50,000 crore. "Pricing originally started off as a problem for the industry. With the Rs 492 crore for 1 MHz, most operators said it was not a viable proposition given the debt and international prices," COAI, DG Rajan Mathews said.