Jio 5G on track to cover entire country by December: Mukesh Ambani
New Delhi (PTI): Reliance Jio's 5G services marks the fastest-ever rollout of this scale anywhere in the world, and the company is "on track" to cover the entire country with the ultra high-speed network by December this year, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Monday.
JioAirFiber will be launched on Ganesh Chaturthi, September 19, Ambani said at the 46th AGM of Reliance Industries.
Jio customer base has crossed 450 million. Its 5G network covers 96 per cent of towns and the company is on track to cover the entire country by December.
"Jio's overall customer base has now crossed the milestone of 450 million subscribers, reflecting a year-on-year revenue growth of over 20 per cent," he said.
The per-user data consumption on Jio's network has surged, with the average user now consuming over 25 GB every month.
Ambani said that Jio was launched seven years ago with a mission to transform India into a Premier Digital Society, and added "we have invested our heart and soul into building a Digital Public Infrastructure which the entire world has begun to admire." Jio has been the main catalyst of New India's spectacular digital transformation, he asserted.
"Now our ambitions are even higher -- and they go beyond the shores of India, as I shall explain. Let’s first discuss Jio True 5G, our pioneering 5G broadband offering. We began our 5G rollout last October. In just nine months, Jio 5G is already present in over 96 per cent of the census towns of our country," Ambani said.
Jio is on track to cover the entire country by December this year.
With over 50 million 5G customers, Jio is already leading in 5G adoption in India, Ambani said.
"And we are the only company with the capacity to smoothly transition our entire 4G customer base to 5G, with minimal additional capital expenditure. With the growing adoption of Jio 5G, we are also seeing an increasing trend of high-ARPU, post-paid customers choosing Jio as their preferred network," Ambani said.
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Kerala sports minister reiterates confidence about Argentina football team's visit
Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 (PTI): Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman on Saturday rejected media reports about the "backtracking" of the Argentina national football team from visiting the state and asserted that the Lionel Messi-led team would play a friendly match here in October this year.
The top-notch soccer team would reach the state as announced by the government with the sponsor, Reporter Broadcasting Company, paying the sponsorship amount as per its contract with the Argentina Football Association (AFA), he said.
Anto Augustine, Managing Director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, also said all things mandated by the AFA in the contract have been fulfilled and it is expected that an announcement about the date of the match would be made soon.
The sports minister and the sponsors came up with the response at a time when a section of the media reported that the Argentina team had cancelled its visit to Kerala as the latter breached the contract norms.
Abdurahiman admitted that some delay had happened in the remittance of the amount by the sponsors.
"The sponsors have to get one more clearance from the Reserve Bank of India for sending the amount and now they have received it. So, the sponsors will remit the amount next week. There will be a clarity about everything by next week," he told reporters here.
He also said he contacted the AFA officials in the wake of media reports and they said there was no issue if the sponsors pay the amount as per the agreement.
The minister said there is no confusion over the stadium where the Argentina team would play if they visit the state as per the agreement.
Stating that the Messi-led team arrives here not for a FIFA match but for a friendly match, he said the Kaloor stadium in Kochi and the Greenfield stadium here are under the consideration of the government.
"As we expect, as the sponsors says, the Argentina team will play a match in Kerala in October...There is no confusion in it as of now," the minister added.
While talking to reporters in Kozhikode, Augustine also said the foreign team would definitely come if the government does whatever they have to do and the sponsors fulfill their responsibilities.
"I don't agree with the narrative that the Argentina team would not come to Kerala. That is propagated with vested interests," he added.
Earlier in the day, the sports minister made it clear that it is the responsibility of sponsors and not that of the government to bring the top-notch soccer team to the state.
Speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event, the minister said it was the Kochi-based Reporter Broadcasting Company that had entered into an agreement with the Argentina team, and the contract still exists.
Sponsors assured that they would soon settle the payment-related matters in this regard without further delay, he said.
"So, as of now, we cannot say that Messi and the Argentina team will not come to Kerala. Though there was some delay in some aspects, there is no confusion at present," he said.
The sports minister further said the government has to depend upon sponsors in this regard, as it cannot meet the huge expense of bringing a top-notch team like Argentina.
He said the government had zeroed in on two sponsors, including the Reporter Broadcasting Company and submitted their details to the Reserve Bank of India for getting necessary clearances.
"But, the first sponsor could not meet the RBI's eligibility criteria. So, as per the request of the Reporter, we gave the sponsorship to them and they received necessary clearances from the RBI to go ahead," Abdurahiman said.
So, the responsibility of bringing the Argentina team rests with the sponsors.
The duty of the government is to get necessary clearances in this regard and ensure the security of the foreign team when they arrive in the state, he said, adding that they would do the same.
