Jio 5G: Plans, SIM, Launch Date, Cities, Speed Test

The auctions for the 5G spectrum in India are finally over. The auction concluded with a record bidding of ₹1.5 lakh crores. The major participants of the auction were India’s major telecom operators — Jio, Airtel, Vi (Vodafone-Idea), and a new entrant, Adani Data Network. Jio stands top with the highest bidding of ₹88,000 crores.

Airtel stands next with ₹43,000 crores, Vi stands third with ₹18,899 crores, and Adani Data Network stands last. Since Jio spent the highest on the bidding, almost double that of Airtel 5G, can we expect a better 5G from Jio? And when can we expect Jio to launch 5G in India? Let us answer all these questions in this article.

Jio 5G Latest News

August 28: Reliance Jio began rolling out its 5G network in India last October, promising nationwide availability by the end of December 2023. At the company’s 46th Annual General Meeting (AGM) this year, Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that Jio has now achieved 96% coverage of census towns with 5G.

While no specific details were shared on 5G prepaid or postpaid plans, Ambani stated that consumers should be able to subscribe to Jio’s 5G services everywhere in the country before the end of December. This timeline aligns with Jio’s original commitment to rapidly scale up its next-generation 5G network nationwide.

January 17: Jio 5G is now available in several cities. You can check the list of all the cities below:

• Tirumala, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, Guntur
• Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Zirakpur, Kharar, Derabassi
• Bhopal, Indore
• Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack
• Ludhiana, Siliguri, Jabalpur, Gwalior
• Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur
• Tirupati, Nellore, Kozhikode, Agra, Kanpur, Meerut, Prayagraj, Thrissur, Nagpur, Ahmednagar.
• Jamshedpur, Udupi, Kalaburagi, Raipur, Durg, Bhilai, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Ranchi, Bellary, Rourkela, Brahmapur, Kollam, Eluru and Amravati.

Read: This article will help users to check the availability of the 5G network in their area.

January 10: After offering free 5G Welcome benefits, Jio has launched its first 5G recharge plan in India. The plan offers blazing-fast 5G speeds with unlimited 5G data at just Rs 61. The plan also provides 6GB of high-speed 4G data. However, the plan will work if you have existing 4G plans which include Rs 119, Rs 149, Rs 179, Rs 199, and Rs 209 plans. If 5G is available in your area, you can recharge with the Rs 61 plan from the company’s website or the MyJio app.

December 20: Jio has announced 5G services (by Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan digitally from Trivandrum) in Kerala starting from Kochi city and Guruvayur temple. The company plans to launch 5G services in Trivandrum by the end of December 2022. By January 2023, the rollout will expand to Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram. So Jio users in Kochi and Guruvayur will be invited to the Welcome Offer soon.

November 25: Jio 5G network is now available in all cities of Gujarat. Gujarat is the first Indian state to get 100% 5G coverage.

November 23: True 5G is rolling out in Pune. Jio users in Pune can experience Unlimited 5G Data at no additional cost under the Welcome offer.

November 18: The standalone 5G network is available across the Delhi-NCR region, including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad.

November 16: Oppo is rolling out a new software update to Reno 8, Reno 8 Pro, Reno 7, F21 Pro 5G, F19 Pro+, K10 and A53s in India. The update brings support for the 5G Standalone network. The remaining Oppo devices will get the update by November 2022.

November 15: Jio 5G rollout for West Bengal will begin in a phased manner. The telecom operator has confirmed Siliguri will be the first city to receive it. It will then start rolling out to North Bengal and Assam. Jio plans to cover the entire Kolkata by December 2022.

November 11: Reliance Jio 5G is now available in 8 Indian cities. After Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Varanasi, and Nathdwara, the 5G network is now rolling out in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. You can connect to the 5G network if you reside in these cities. It should be noted Jo randomly sends an invite to users. Open your MyJio app and check if the Welcome offer banner is available.

November 10: Apple has released iOS 16.2 beta build for eligible iPhone models. The new software update brings Jio 5G support for iPhone users in India.

November 7: OnePlus is rolling out support for Jio 5G via software update on the OnePlus 10R, 10T, 10 Pro, Nord 5G, and Nord CE 5G.

October 27: Nothing Phone (1) is getting a new software update in India that enables support for Jio 5G.

October 22: Jio 5G is now available in Chennai, one of the most prominent cities in India. Invited Jio users in Chennai can participate in the 5G beta trial program to avail of unlimited high-speed data. Jio True 5G Wi-Fi Services is also launched in Nathdwara, Rajasthan. The Wi-Fi Services will be available in high-footfall areas such as Railway Stations, bus stands, and more.

When will Jio Launch 5G in India?

• Reliance Jio announced its 5G service on August 29, 2022. The Jio 5G network rollout begins on October 5, 2022, by Invitation only in 4 cities.

Reliance Industries (RIL) ‘s 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on August 29, 2022. During Annual General Meeting, Reliance Jio announced its 5G services called Jio True 5G.

PM Narendra Modi launched 5G services on October 1 in India at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022. Reliance Industries Ltd’s Chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani, was also present at the event. He said that Jio would bring affordable 5G services to all parts of the country by December 2023. The 5G services are now rolling out to 5 cities (Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Varanasi, and Mumbai) via Invitation.

Jio will roll out 5G services based on standalone (SA) architecture in several cities. The rollout began on October 5, 2022. The telecom company further said they would deliver 5G to every town in India by December 2023.

The initial rollout will be limited to metro cities where Jio will do pilot testing of 5G. It will take about 2 to 3 months for Jio to bring 5G to more cities in India. We can expect Jio 5G to arrive in India’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities by the end of this year. Once Jio 5G rolls out, My Jio app may add an option to check the 5G network coverage.

Once 5G network coverage expands in the country, Jio will launch an ultra-affordable 5G phone in association with Google. We have covered everything about Jio Phone True 5G here.

• Read: 5G Launch Date in India

What is Jio 5G Welcome Offer?

Jio has announced the Jio True 5G Welcome Offer, where users can avail of unlimited 5G data with up to 1Gbps+ speeds. Sadly, the Welcome Offer is only valid for select users in select cities (via Invitation). The welcome benefit is available for beta trial users who have received an invitation to experience Jio True 5G. Following this guide, you can activate the 5G network on your smartphone.

Who will be invited to experience Jio 5G?

To receive the 5G invite from Jio, your SIM must have been purchased in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi. If you are an eligible customer, the operator will show a banner on the MyJio app mentioning a “Jio 5G Welcome offer.” It looks like Jio will select users randomly for the beta trial. It should be noted your device must be 5G enabled or make sure your device has received a 5G software update from the manufacturer.

What are the 5G bands bought by Jio?

Jio was the highest bidder of all the telecom operators participating in India’s 5G spectrum auctions. Jio spent a total of ₹88,078 crores on the bidding. Jio also has the most extensive spectrum pan-India. As for the 5G bands, Jio has bought 5G bands in all popular frequencies. Jio will support low-band frequencies like 700 MHz (n28) and 800 MHz (n5), medium-band frequencies like 1800 MHz (n3), 3300 MHz (n78), and the high-band frequency (mmWave) 26 GHz (n258).

Jio has clarified that it will bring 5G connectivity all over the country. Jio will be using the cost-efficient 700 MHz sub-GHz frequency band to do this. Jio is also planning to get the premium mmWave 26 GHz band across all 22 circles in India. If you want to know the 5G bands on your new 5G phone, check out Ways to Check 5G Bands of a Phone.

• Read: List of Supported 5G Bands in India

What are the Cities where Jio 5G will be launched first?

Jio plans to roll out 5G in India by Diwali 2022. This rollout will begin with metropolitan cities first. Jio will later expand it to hundreds of tier-2 and tier-3 cities. As per the latest report, Jio will initially roll out its 5G services in 4 cities. These are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Other metropolitan cities, including Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Chandigarh,  Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Lucknow, and Pune, may experience the 5G in the 2nd phase. It should be noted, Jio may roll out a 5G network in select areas of these cities. So, every citizen in these cities might not avail of 5G services.

• Read: What is 5Gi Standard in India?

Do you need a new SIM Card to use Jio 5G?

You will probably need a new Jio 5G SIM to access the 5G network. Jio has built a standalone 5G, that is, a whole new infrastructure for 5G. Since “Standalone 5G” doesn’t depend on the existing 4G network, you won’t be able to continue with your 4G SIM card to enjoy 5G services. Jio’s Standalone 5G network will provide cheaper, faster and more powerful services than the competitor’s NSA 5G network.

So in order to upgrade your existing 4G SIM to a 5G-enabled SIM, you will likely need to visit the nearest customer service centre or retail store. Also, there might be an SMS facility where users will send an SMS from their current active 4G SIMs to upgrade their SIMs for 5G support. The telecom operator may launch a dedicated portal for 4G to 5G SIM upgrade service.

If Jio makes any statement in the future, we will let you know. So make sure you watch out for this space for any updates on the same.

Update October 4: No need to change your SIM card.

Jio has announced the True 5G beta trial program to gain user-experience feedback. The operator has confirmed that beta trial users do not need to change their existing Jio SIM.

A Jio executive told ET Telecom that a 5G smartphone or tablet would automatically display 5G network availability once Jio’s 5G is available in your area. To avail of 5G services, you can use your existing Jio 4G SIM card via an opt-in option so users can upgrade to a 5G network without changing their current 4G SIM.

It looks like Jio will initially use their existing LTE technology (NSA mode) to deploy the 5G network; later, they will switch to SA architecture.

• Read 5G SIM Card in India: Do You Need a New SIM for 5G? for a more detailed overview.

What Download/Upload Speeds will we get with Jio 5G?

During the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 held in Delhi, Jio showcased its 5G speed test on the C-band. The result shows 1.4 Gbps to 1.7 Gbps speed at every instance. Since 5G is rolling out in select cities, users are sharing their speed test reports on Twitter. We can see that Jio has achieved a download speed of 1085Mbps and an upload speed of 138Mbps.

Network	Download Speed	Upload Speed
Jio 5G	1085Mbps	138Mbps
Jio 4G	47Mbps	26Mbps

As for mmWave or mid-band (sub-6GHz) 5G bands, we do not have information regarding the same. However, Jio will surely bring the higher frequency bands, too, that will offer better speed than sub-GHz bands.

What will be the Price of Jio 5G Plans?

Jio 5G Plans	Price in India
Starting Plan	Rs 400-500 (Expected)

The price of Jio 4G plans in India starts at Rs 239/month, which offers 1.5GB/day of 4G data, unlimited calls, and 100 SMS. As you would expect, Jio 5G plans will cost much more. However, this may not be the case if Jio plans to launch 5G at a competitive price. If this is the case, we can expect Jio 5G to start at around Rs 400-500 per month. Jio might also keep reasonable pricing for the higher frequency 5G bands.

During India Mobile Congress 2022, Mukesh Amban said that Jio would offer the most affordable rates that anyone else has in the world with the highest quality services. So you won’t be required to pay a lot for 5G as 5G plans will be available at affordable prices.

Update 10/01/2023: Jio has announced a 5G Upgrade plan. The plan is priced at Rs 61 and offers users unlimited 5G data. It has the same validity as a base tariff plan. The plan also adds 6GB of 4G data. The plan is applicable only in cities where 5G has been launched. To recharge the 5G upgrade plan, you must have active plans worth Rs 119 or Rs 149 or Rs 179 or Rs 199 or Rs 209.

Final Words

All in all, Jio will be launching 5G services at the right time. It needs to get it right on the technology and pricing fronts. If it does that, there are many ways in which Jio can make 5G a success. And with telecom giants like Airtel and Vi (Vodafone-Idea) jumping onto the 5G bandwagon, things will only get interesting.