08 May 2025
Reliance Jio has acknowledged that it has been utilizing unlicensed spectrum, as well as licensed 5G spectrum, to connect some customers through its 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services. The company claims this approach helps reduce deployment costs, making it easier to expand its network rapidly.
During a post-earnings call for Reliance Industries, Anshuman Thakur, Jio Infocomm’s head of strategy, revealed that the company has been deploying unlicensed band radio (UBR) equipment for certain FWA deployments. Unlicensed spectrum includes bands such as 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz, commonly used for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The latest 3GPP standards — Release 16 and Release 17 — have introduced specifications for 5G New Radio-Unlicensed (NR-U), allowing 5G networks to operate in unlicensed bands below 7 GHz and in millimeter-wave bands from 57 GHz to 71 GHz, respectively.
Thakur explained that leveraging UBR enables Jio to serve multiple users with a single FWA unit, significantly lowering the cost per customer. This strategy aligns with Jio’s broader push to rapidly expand its broadband footprint across India.
Jio launched its JioFiberAir service in 2023, and as of the end of FY 2025, it reported serving 5.6 million FWA customers, representing about 85% of India’s FWA market. However, Thakur did not specify how many of these customers are connected via UBR equipment.
