Jio will complete pan-India 5G rollout by 2023 in UP: Ambani

Reliance Jio will complete the rollout of 5G services in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) within 10 months, Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani said.

"Jio will complete the 5G rollout to cover every town and village of Uttar Pradesh by December 2023, 10 months from today," Ambani said. He was speaking at the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit on Friday.

The RIL chairman added that Jio Platforms (JPL) will help modernize all areas of business and industry, from agriculture to the social sector and governance. Founded in October 2019, JPL is home to Reliance Jio Infocomm, the country's largest telecom service provider, and the group's other digital properties and investments. Reliance Jio accounts for most of JPL's operations. "We plan to pilot our two new initiatives, Jio School and Jio AI (artificial intelligence) doctor, to bring world-class education and healthcare to the villages and small towns of Uttar Pradesh as cheaply as possible," he said.

"We have invested Rs 50,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh so far and our businesses have been growth multipliers in several sectors. We have helped create over 80,000 crore indirect and direct jobs," Ambani said. He said Reliance Industries will invest an additional Rs 75,000 crore over the next four years in Uttar Pradesh across Jio, retail and renewables. "These additional investments will create more than 1,000,000 additional jobs in the state."

Jio and Bharti Airtel started rolling out their 5G networks from October 1 last year and aim to complete the rollout across India within 15 months. Jio is deploying its 5G standalone (SA) network, while Airtel is deploying a 5G non-standalone (NSA) network.

Jio True 5G services are active in more than 230 cities, while Airtel has extended its 5G Plus coverage to more than 70 cities till date.