Reliance Jio is running trials on a new technology that could change the way mobile networks handle coverage gaps. The company is testing Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS), panels designed to bounce 5G signals into areas where coverage is weak, especially indoors. 5G in India has grown fast. Towers are up, cities are connected, and outdoor speeds are strong. But step inside an office or a flat, and the story changes. Signals dip. Calls drop. Users complain that the network they see outside doesn’t follow them indoors.
The problem is worse with mmWave, the high-frequency band that carries huge amounts of data but can’t pass through walls or glass. Operators usually fix this with extra radios or small cells. That’s expensive, slow, and not always practical.
What Jio IRS Brings
IRS is different. The panel doesn’t transmit. It reflects. Think of it as a signal mirror. Hundreds of tiny elements on the surface can be tuned to catch a wave and push it in the right direction.
Mount it on a wall, a window, or a street pole. The panel redirects the signal from the base station into corners and rooms that were earlier dead spots. It’s simple in design but powerful in effect.
Why Jio Wants It
Reliance Jio has invested heavily in 5G, but the operator knows coverage is where user satisfaction often breaks down. Adding more sites is one solution, but each tower comes with costs approvals, fiber, power. IRS, on the other hand, is light, uses very little energy, and can be placed quickly.
Jio is also testing whether these panels can work in Indian environments where construction is dense and usage is heavy. If the results are positive, IRS could sit alongside towers and small cells as part of Jio’s coverage toolkit.
Also Read: Jio Confirms No Immediate Tariff Hike in Plans
What It Means for Customers
For a end user, the change would be simple but noticeable. A video call that used to freeze in the bedroom may suddenly run fine. The corner of an office floor where calls always dropped may stay connected. Speeds on mmWave, almost useless indoors today, could finally become practical.
Customers won’t need to do anything. The panels will just work in the background, quietly making the network stronger in the places it usually struggles.
The Bigger Picture
IRS is not just a Jio experiment. Around the world, researchers are looking at the same idea. The concept is being studied as part of 6G standards, where networks are expected to rely on not just radios but also smart, passive surfaces.
Since the panels don’t create signals, they consume very little energy. If deployed at scale, IRS could reduce the carbon footprint of networks something every operator is under pressure to achieve.
What Comes Next
The technology is still in the early phase. Reliance Jio has not shared timelines or costs. Trials will reveal how the panels hold up in real world conditions how it will be helping Indian conditions. The economics of deploying thousands of them across a city also needs to be worked out.
But the direction is clear. Operators cannot rely on towers alone. With data use growing, they need new ways to keep coverage stable. IRS could be one of those answers. Jio’s move shows the company is not just adding towers but also looking at smarter ways to fix the basics. Coverage, especially indoors, has been the weak link for years. If IRS works, it could turn walls and windows into part of the network itself.
For users, that could simply mean fewer dropped calls and better 5G where they need it most.
