
In addition to targeting the domestic 5G market, Reliance Jio is also creating its unique small cell radio network that it intends to make available to international competitors. According to informed sources, Reliance’s 5G network stack will prioritise small cells, enabling Jio to conduct urban expansion using homegrown technology and supply small cell radios to international suppliers.
Mukesh Ambani announced a deal with Qualcomm at the recently ended annual shareholder meeting of Reliance Industries. Qualcomm invested nearly $100 million in Jio Platforms, the parent company of Reliance Jio, in exchange for a 0.15 percent shareholding in 2020.
With Qualcomm’s 5G and 4G RAN (Radio access platforms) channels, mobile coverage can be expanded, and the bandwidth of the network may be increased (small cells). The Qualcomm website states that due to their structural flexibility (scaling to vRAN), energy design (PoE potential), and support for all spectrum bands, Qualcomm 5G and 4G RAN solutions are ideally positioned to create next-generation interior and exterior networks at scale (including 5G mmWave and sub-6).
According to the source, Qualcomm would collaborate with Reliance Jio to construct its own proprietary small cell network stack for 5G by pooling these abilities.
Small cells are movable, compact base stations that may be positioned around every 250 metres across cities and need very little power to run. Operators may saturate the city with thousands of such units to avoid signal drops. They would create a complex network that functions like a relay team, passing information to consumers wherever they go and passing off signals like a baton.
Small cells will be crucial for 5G since a 5G network’s huge data capacity will need providers to boost network density. In his address to the AGM, Mukesh Ambani also made a hint that the telco would like to use its domestically created network solutions to expand internationally.