Reliance Jio Infocomm’s (RJio) plans to provide 5G connectivity to support remote learning and provide affordable education is gathering steam, with the firm already bringing three schools on its network. The move gains importance as it comes ahead of the company’s commercial launch of 5G services in the country.
Further, the firm is looking to support at least 10-15 more schools across select states in the next few months. The telecom operator intends to cover a vast majority of schools across the country’s semi-urban and rural areas, once it launches 5G commercial operations.
While connectivity is not an issue as RJio has 5G network available across most parts of the country, adding new schools would mainly depend on permissions from respective state governments, sources close to the development said.
On Saturday, RJio connected Gyanjyoti Savitribai Phule School in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, making it the first 5G-enabled school in Maharashtra. Similarly, Ropda Primary School in Daskroi taluka, Ahmedabad, became the first in Gujarat and SLS Memorial Residential Tribal School in Mayurbhanj district, the first in Odisha.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing the launch of 5G services interacted with the students and teachers of these schools over videoconferencing facilities in presence of the respective state chief ministers.
Earlier in August, RJio, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries (RIL), announced the rollout of 5G services from four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata by Diwali. The firm would be providing the services under the brand, JioTrue5G.
On Saturday, RIL chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani had said that RJio will expand 5G telephony services offering ultra-high-speed internet connectivity to every part of the country by December, 2023. Earlier in August, Mukesh Ambani had said that Reliance Industries (RIL) will invest `2 trillion for its 5G foray.
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