Tata Sky, Jio GigaFiber: Latest Progresses Made by the Technology Providers

Jio GigaFiber has started accepting registrations for its service from 15 August. The entry of Jio GigaFiber has created ripples in the broadband market. Jio GigaFiber might disrupt the broadband market by offering the service at 50% of the price of those offered by competitors, a marketing technique the Reliance owned company has applied in the past in other sectors as well. However, dominant players like Tata Sky, Airtel and others are not taking this lightly and are doing the best they can to stay ahead in the market.

JioGigaFiber preview has already gone live for consumers since last month. Customers are being offered ‘ultra high-speed’ internet of up to 100Mbps for 90 days along with monthly data of 100 GB and a complimentary access to a host of Jio's premium apps. GigaFiber router and the Jio GigaTV set-top box will come along with the Jio GigaFiber.

The broadband service will be simultaneously made available in 1100 cities and Reliance is targeting small, medium as well as large enterprises to use this service. However, Tata Sky too has made several new announcements over the past few months to keep ahead in the competition.

Initiatives Taken by Tata Sky over the Past Few Months

Last month, Tata Sky launched its own broadband service across 12 cities of India, which are Delhi, Pune, Bhopal, Chennai, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Mira Bhayandar, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Thane, Noida, and Bengaluru. The monthly rates for the unlimited plans are 5Mbps at Rs 999, 10Mbps at Rs 1,150, 30Mbps at Rs 1,500, 50Mbps at Rs 1,800 and 100Mbps at Rs 2,500. The installation charges will be Rs 1,200 and the Wifi router comes for free with this plan.

Tata Sky recently also partnered with Skyworth Digital to supply its newest broadcast set-top box. Skyworth Digital was been selected by Tata Sky to supply its newest DVB-S2 set-top box. DVB-S2 is a next generation product with capabilities like the ability of the set-top box to have internet access resulting in it being more interactive.

Where Jio DTH Stands as of Now

There is still no clarity on Jio DTH regarding the launch date, prices and availability. Speculations doing the rounds indicate that the service should be available by Diwali. A report on Economic Times mentioned that what might be leading to a delay in the service being rolled out could be due to resistance faced by Local Cable Operators (LCOs) who fear that they will not be able to compete with Jio, which could affect the industry with its low tariffs and offers, like it did in mobile services.

Jio GigaFiber is also expected to empower its set-top box with the ability to allow its users to video calls along with features like smart remote in several Indian languages as well as with voice command support. Jio GigaTV set-top box will also offer Ultra HD entertainment, multi-party video conferencing, voice activated virtual assistant, virtual reality gaming, shopping and smart home solutions, said Mukesh Ambani in a Reliance Event in July. Jio GigaFiber installation will be free of charge and the monthly plans could start at Rs 500.

It will surely be interesting to see how consumers actually react upon the entry of Jio GigaFiber into the market.