The much-awaited launch of 4G services by Reliance Jio is likely to happen by the end of this month in some select areas, particularly Mumbai, according to a report by a global brokerage firm.
However, the commercial launch of Reliance Jio 4G services across the country may be delayed till April-June 2016, said Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoFA-ML) in a report.
"In a scenario Jio launches by December 28, we remain unsure 1) if it will be a commercial launch with the company disclosing price-points or 2) if it will be an extension of services which are currently being offered to employees to select user group/Jio partners (i.e. few months of free data with no price-points being shared)," The Economic Times quoted, BoFA-ML, as saying in a note to clients dated December 15.
BoFA-ML said that it has found Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calls "working well" during the beta-testing of 4G services by Reliance Jio in Mumbai, even when tested from inside the buildings and while travelling.
The data download speeds were in 18-30 Mbps range when Reliance Jio 4G services were tested while travelling/inside buildings and went up to as high as 60-70 Mbps when they were accessed outside, it said.
"We believe this is largely due to an empty network which Jio currently has. We remain unsure if Jio network is offering similar speeds outside Mumbai particularly in circles where they only have 2300 MHz," the report said.
The brokerage expects Reliance Jio to "position itself as an aspirational brand" providing premium services (high-speed).
