Reliance Jio, India's largest telco, is likely going to avail its FWA (fixed wireless access) device for the Indian market soon. The telco has been rapidly rolling out 5G and until it reaches complete coverage of India, monetising 5G doesn't make sense. But for the areas or circles which have been extensively covered with 5G, Jio can at least offer FWA service there. Bharti Airtel, Jio's competitor has already started offering 5G FWA service in two circles.
Read More - Airtel Launches Xstream AirFiber - India's First 5G FWA Service
Reliance Industries, the parent company of Reliance Jio is going to conduct its annual general meeting (AGM) on August 28, 2023. The company has a habit of making big announcements related to Jio during AGM. This time, the company is highly expected to announce the 5G FWA service for consumers. Note that Jio has already unveiled the product to the market and also showcased it during the India Mobile Congress 2023.
Read More - Is 5G FWA the Golden Ticket for Telcos to Monetise 5G
Bharti Airtel's 5G FWA service is only being offered to consumers for six months. This means a lump-sum payment which everyone might not feel comfortable with. Airtel's taken this route because the cost of CPE (Consumer Premise Equipment) is too high to justify offering FWA service at a low cost. Thus, it is better to make the customer pay a lump-sum amount so that offering the service in the first place doesn't incur losses for the company.
It will be interesting to see which way Reliance Jio goes. It has always maintained that it will be the most affordable private telecom operator for consumers in India. The telco will most likely start offering 5G FWA service before the end of this year as it reaches complete 5G coverage in the country. 5G FWA service can be very useful for many customers where fiber internet services are not available.
