Reliance Jio to launch self-branded 5G handsets with service roll-out in 2020: Report

Reliance Jio will reportedly launch 5G handsets with the service roll-out in April next year.

Reliance Jio is said to be in discussion with vendors for assembling the 5G phones (REUTERS)

Reliance Jio is reportedly planning to launch its 5G services with self-branded 5G handsets next year.

Jio's 5G services will be ready by April next year, six months after the spectrum auction, Financial Chronicle reported. Jio's 5G handsets will be ready for sale as soon as the service will be available to consumers. The company is expected to launch 5G-based feature phones as well.

While 5G network will be soon available in the US and Europe, there are no 5G ready smartphone in the market right now. But this will change soon as many smartphone companies are planning to release 5G phones this year. A lot of first 5G phones will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 later this month.

Huawei has already confirmed its foldable phone with 5G support. Samsung's foldable phone is also expected to come with 5G support. Other key players like OnePlus and Xiaomi are also expected to launch 5G smartphones.

These 5G handsets, however, are likely to launch with premium price tag which could lead to a slower adoption of the technology.

India is expected to have 5G services in 2020 as the government plans to hold spectrum auction later this year. According to reports, telcos want the auction to be pushed because of the lack of 5G ready devices in the country.

Reliance Jio's strategy for 5G services is said to be similar to its LTE mobile services. The company introduced unlimited free voice calls and aggressive data plans which forced rivals to launch similar plans for their subscribers. It also introduced JioPhone and JioPhone 2 smart feature phones. Jio currently has over 280 million subscribers in India.

Jio's 5G handsets are expected to be priced lower than the premium handsets that will launch later this year.

Rival Airtel has also begun work on its 5G network. The telecom operator last year demonstrated its 5G platform in India and even conducted an "AR (augmented reality) Holographic Communication" using 5G New Radio (NR) non-standalone architecture (NSA).