JioAirFiber will offer multiple video streams, camera angles in UHD for IPL: Akash Ambani

JioAirFiber, the ultra-high-speed fixed-broadband that will be launched as part of the Jio 5G roll-out, will offer a dynamic streaming experience for sporting events like the Indian Premier League (IPL), said Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani. 

During his address at the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) AGM, Akash Ambani said JioAirFiber has the capability to deliver multiple video streams and camera angles in Ultra High-Definition (UHD) for IPL. Reliance-owned Viacom18 has picked up the digital rights for IPL till 2027.

Ambani revealed the manner in which viewers might watch an interactive live match in the very near future with JioAirFiber on a large screen, instead of the traditional broadcast experience.

"The big difference you can see is that because of giga-bit speeds of JioAirFiber, we can now deliver not just one video stream, but multiple video streams, showing multiple camera angles at the same time, and that too in ultra-high definition. And we can dynamically choose which camera angle we want to focus on, while still having a preview of other video streams. This makes every game truly immersive, even better than the real-match experience, as well as personalised to suit the preferences of each and every viewer," he expounded.

Akash stated that JioAirFiber customers will also be able to have a watch party with their friends through live video calls from anywhere in India. This, he said, is almost as if you are watching a match sitting together in a stadium. "With JioAirFiber's ultra-low latency, things like multi-player and cloud gaming work even better on large screens in your home," he added.

JioAirFiber promises to offer fiber-like speeds over the air without any wires. "We have developed a JioAirFiber Home Gateway, which is a wireless, simple, single-device solution. Get it, plug it in, turn it on, and that's it. You now have a personal Wi-Fi hotspot in your home, connected to ultra-high-speed internet using True 5G. On top of that, because it's an end-to-end wireless solution, there are no wires coming into your house, creating an eyesore," Akash said.

Speaking about Reliance's media business, RIL CMD Mukesh Ambani said that the company's media business achieved its highest growth last year on the back of strong engagement, resulting in record subscriptions and advertising revenues.

"Our national channels, CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, and News18 India are consistently ranked Number 1. Moneycontrol is among the world's most popular subscription products. Our news brands are innovating with novel story-telling methods across platforms, building deeper relationships with audiences – wherever they are and whatever device they use," Ambani stated.

He also stated that Viacom18 consolidated its leadership position with a high-decibel entry into sports, bagging digital rights of IPL for five years. "Along with key sporting rights in football, badminton, basketball, and tennis, there is now cricket. Viacom18 is also aggressively investing in movie rights and original content for OTT."

Ambani said that digital is a core and fast-growing theme in news, entertainment, and sports as the country gears up to embrace 5G. "Our partnership with Bodhi Tree, James Murdoch, Uday Shankar, and Paramount Global will help Viacom18 with additional talent bandwidth and enable us to create a world-class media & entertainment business," he stated.

He also stated that JioFiber is now the Number One FTTX service provider in India, with over 7 million connected premises. "In spite of this strong growth, India lags behind the rest of the world in fixed broadband services. With only 20 million connections, India is ranked a lowly 138 in the world in fixed broadband adoption. Unlike in developed countries, a vast majority of our homes, offices, and businesses have been deprived of the power of fixed broadband and ubiquitous indoor Wi-Fi," he pointed out.

Ambani stated that Jio has a mission to propel India into the Top-10 league in fixed broadband adoption. "Today, I want to announce the next leap forward that Jio is creating in digital connectivity, especially in fixed broadband. Using 5G technology, we can dramatically reduce latency or lag, and deliver breakthrough increases in broadband speed, network capacity, and the number of connected users," he said.

According to Ambani, Jio 5G can achieve three objectives: build on the success of Jio 4G by introducing an even more advanced version of mobile broadband, accelerate the roll-out of top quality, highly affordable fixed broadband services to hundreds of millions of locations in a very short period of time, and use this vastly expanded broadband availability to further stimulate the adoption of connected intelligent solutions across all walks of life.