Reliance Jio Fiber: Here are 5 key things you’ll get with new broadband service

Reliance Jio's GigaFiber broadband service is set to roll out in India next month. Even as high speed internet and low cost tariff are the main attraction of Jio Fiber, Reliance is looking to build a tech-driven ecosystem for home and enterprise users. The roadmap unveiled at the company's AGM 2019 includes Mixed Reality, 4K content, and Internet of Things. Let's break it down.

Jio Fiber for end users

Reliance Jio is looking to disrupt the broadband space with low-cost tariffs as it did with Jio's mobile service in late 2016. Reliance Jio's base tariff plan is priced at ₹700 per month with data speeds up to 100Mbps. Reliance is also bundling free landline service with Jio Fiber. Aiming to get an instant wide adoption, Jio is offering free HD or 4K TV and 4K set-top-box with annual Jio Fiber data plans. Some of the freebies announced at the AGM include JioPostPaid Plus priority service, bundled content from OTT platforms, and a 'Jio First-day-first-show' for movie buffs.

JioCall

Touted as the first video conferencing solution for Indian homes, JioCall service will allow users to make video calls through their TVs. Users can also conduct multi-party video conferences. The service is interoperable across devices including TVs and users can video conference via JioCall for free.

Jio Set-top-box

Reliance Jio set-top-box is akin to a smart media player and comes with features such as video conferencing, voice search, and access to popular OTT platforms. Another big feature of Reliance Jio set-top-box is that it supports online gaming. Reliance Jio also introduced a multiplayer online network. Jio said the set-top-box supports all popular gaming consoles and controllers. It also claimed that the graphic performance of the set-top-box is "at par with the best in the world" and delivers "zero latency." The set-top-box supports up to 4K resolution for gameplay.

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Mixed Reality Holoboard

Reliance Jio in collaboration with MR startup Tesseract introduced Mixed Reality-based features. Leveraging GigaFiber broadband service, Jio's MR headset 'Holoboard' is aimed at three categories - shopping, entertainment and education. According to the demo at RIL AGM, Jio's MR headset will allow users to create a 3D virtual avatar and try different apparels. The Holoboard will also help users watch movies in cinematic mode, similar to ANT-VR headsets. Reliance Jio will sell Holoboard separately and will be available to users at an "affordable" price.

Startups

Reliance Jio also announced free cloud and connectivity solutions for "budding startups" in India. The company will deliver "custom designed packages" for different startups. The service will be available to startups starting January, 2020. The company also announced plans to invest in the new startups. It is worth noting here that Reliance Jio and Microsoft announced a 10-year partnership to integrate Microsoft's Azure cloud with Jio's upcoming data centers in India.