Reliance Jio’s Bold Steps into Captive 5G Networks and Industry 4.0

Reliance Jio Unveils Captive 5G Network Plans

NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio will start showcasing private 5G deployments with its customers in the next three to four months, a senior executive of the telecom operator’s enterprise arm said Friday.

“Multiple PoCs (proof-of-concepts) are happening…a lot of computer vision applications are being tested. I'm sure in the next two to three months, we will be able to start showcasing that these are the customers who have already had their own captive 5G network,” Ajay Sehgal, Chief Revenue Officer, Jio Business said at the first edition of the ET Telecom 5G Industries Innovation Summit 2024.

The Impact of 5G on Industry 4.0

He added that while 5G would lead to more consumer-centric use cases, it would potentially catalyze Industry 4.0 growth. A captive 5G network simplifies network hardware management for enterprises and supports autonomous operations, such as for automated manufacturing factories.

“What we are saying is with the help of 5G, you have your captive network. Nobody else from outside can enter into that network,” he said.

Use Cases of Captive 5G Networks

Jio is conducting another PoC to explore if a remote healthcare clinic can be integrated into a major hospital, facilitating the administration of critical care to a patient. “So a small clinic is getting integrated into a bigger hospital, the doctor is available on a real-time basis, and the patient is getting treatment. That is an example of edge computing combined with 5G,” Sehgal said.

He stated that Jio provides connectivity and digital services to about 80% of the enterprises in India and is the world’s largest data carrier, carrying nearly 8% of global mobile traffic. Jio is the largest 5G operator outside China with 130 million 5G users.