Jio to offer 40-80 times better mobile broadband speeds in India, says Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries took the stage at FICCI FRAMES 2016 and spoke about the future of digital media and Reliance Jio services.

Addressing the audience, Mukesh Ambani mentioned the Indian media industry has grown by 9 times in the last 12 years. The total value, he says, is expected to hit $100 billion in 10 years. Calling Jio the “world’s biggest startup,” he added that the Rs 1,50,000 crore investment in the service is because he sees digitisation as the “defining trend of the century.”

Adding the “the best is yet to come for the Indian media industry,” Ambani said that Jio would significantly up the quantity and quality of mobile broadband coverage by 80-100 times. He expects Jio to offer coverage to 90 percent of Indians and also speeds that are 40-80 times greater than the current average.

Speaking of the potential of digital media content and accessible broadband, Ambani said that an affordable video network would change the way we learn.

“It will revolutionise education in India. We’re moving from audio to video,” he said. Adding in that the world was graduating to a tele-media world and that we are now part of a tele-media front.

He ended with a statement indicating that Reliance Jio would do its best to support and boost the Digital India initiative because it’s about bringing people together and join the Digital India movement.

Also at the event was Uday Shankar, CEO of StarTV, who spoke about how story-telling, coupled with technology would change the world.

Referring to Jio, Uday Shankar said, “I have never seen such anticipation for a product even before its launch.” He went on to say that there was a tectonic shift happening in the industry, that change was happening faster than anticipated.

“We are looking at a truly global world which has no patience,” he added.

FICCI is the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. It’s a non-government, non-profit organisation that works with closely with the government on policy issues related to Indian businesses and the industry.

FICCI FRAMES is the biggest event of its kind in Asia and is claimed to be the foremost business conclave in the entertainment industry.

FICCI FRAMES 2016 is running from 30 March to 1 April at the Renaissance Centre in Powai, Mumbai.

Source: First Post

Jio Join app: First look and comprehensive feature review

We recently shared with you the initial impressions of the Jio Mi-Fi pocket router which acts as a bridge between non VoLTE smartphones and voice services on Jio’s 4G LTE network. Today we would like to share with you the look and design of the app which makes this possible and brief you about its features and capabilities.

Jio join app is a one stop solution for all calling and texting needs for users who wish to enjoy these services on Jio’s 4G network without relying on a fall back to 3G or 2G network of a partner operator. Calls made over the LTE network offer HD voice with better clarity than analogue cellular voice. Jio Join app can be installed on 4G smartphones lacking VoLTE  or even on WiFi enabled non 4G smartphones to be used in conjunction with the MiFi device. Layout wise the app has a minimalistic approach with 3 neat sections for contacts, messages and calls. For phones which will only be used on the Jio network, the app can be set as the default dialer to make outgoing calls. For phones which have another operator’s sim inserted and wish to make calls through the connected Jio MiFi device, the Jio Join app will prompt each time a number is dialed from the stock dialer and ask whether the call should be placed on cellular network or routed as a VoLTE call on the Jio network.

The contacts section has 3 sub sections for favourites, All contacts and contacts who have Jio Join app installed. Clicking on a contact’s display pic gives a popup card which gives options for chatting (SMS with non Jio join users or instant messaging for Jio join users), audio calling, video calling or sharing of files (with other Jio join users). Other features exclusively available for calling Jio join users include Rich call and Urgent call. A rich call allows the caller to attach a customised short message, a photo and a GPS location which would give a brief idea to the receiver of the call what the purpose of the call is even without picking it up. Also calls can be marked as urgent to ensure they are picked up on a priority basis by the receiver.

The video calling interface is pretty standard as visible in the screenshot above. During a live video call the options available are mute and unmute the microphone, mute or unmute the speaker, switch on or off the camera, put the call on hold, pull up the dialer pad, switch between front and back cam, send a text message or attach and send a file. The design is intuitive and user friendly. An indicator towards the top left indicates the total call duration and the current signal strength.

Jio join can be set as your default SMS client. The layout of the messages section is very similar to that of the Jio chat app. Clicking on a conversation reveals the chat window with the conversation in thread view. To non Jio join users you can send regular SMS and to fellow Jio join users you can send instant messages, share images, videos, voice recordings, GPS location, .zip and .pdf files. To the top of the chat window there is a phone icon which acts as a shortcut to place a VoLTE call to the person you are chatting with.

Note: All data consumed while making a voice call to non Jio join numbers through VoLTE on the Jio network is zero rated and only the per second or per minute calling tariff will apply just like a regular GSM call and the same applies for data consumed in sending and receiving SMS to non Jio join contacts. However when making a call through VoWiFi on a third party non Jio WiFi network, the subscriber may be charged for the data consumed by his broadband provider. All calls and instant messages to fellow Jio join users will be free.

Source: Telecom Talk

Reliance Jio sister company launches entry-level VoLTE smartphones, LYF Wind 6 and LYF Flame

Reliance Jio's sister company, Reliance Retail, has expanded its LYF smartphone portfolio with the launch of entry level LYF Wind 6 and LYF Flame 1 devices. The company has priced these smartphones at Rs. 7090, and Rs. 6490, respectively.

These phones are available across India in more than 1,20,000 retail outlets through a network of more than 1200 distributors.

The company said that the two devices represent one of the most affordable and superior entry-level smartphones in the Indian market. Both the devices support VoLTE and VoWi-Fi, which will deliver a true 4G experience when used on a VoLTE supporting network.

"With Wind 6 and Flame 1, everyone can experience HD-quality voice and video calls, multi-party voice and video conferencing, Wi-Fi calling, high-speed Internet, and seamless switching of a call from the service provider's network to any available Wi-Fi network," the company said in a statement.

Both Wind 6 and Flame 1 come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Chipset and 1 GB RAM. Both the devices feature a 5MP front camera, apart from a 5MP rear camera, with special modes such as blink detection, smile detection, etc. A complimentary transparent back cover makes for an attractive proposition.

Wind 6 has a 5-inch IPS display, 1 GB RAM, and premium gloss finish.

Flame 1 is available in four vibrant colours - white, black, dark blue, and dark red, while Wind 6 is available in white, black, and gold colours.

Source: ET Telecom