Reliance Jio, the latest network service provider in India, seems to be preparing to disrupt the television sector in India. Now, after the telecom market, it appears that the home broadband market (fibre-to-the-home (FTTH)) too will face stiff competition. Reports had surfaced last month that Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) is working on such a service in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, while Vodafone India is also reportedly bent on entering the sector after acquiring wired internet provider YOU Broadband. However, there is no information on when Jio will roll out its service in India. Meanwhile, pictures of Jio’s set-top-boxes have surfaced online. In a leak on the websites Candytech and DTH Forum, we can see a retail box with the brand logo of Reliance Jio branding. But we cannot confirm whether the images on the website are an actual representation of the devices which may be launched.
Meanwhile, if Jio and Vodafone enter the $2-billion wired broadband market, it will challenge the dominance of BSNL and Bharti Airtel. These two control more than two-third of the space. According to a report in the TV channel ETNow, Jio may also partner with video streaming websites like Amazon Prime and Netflix. Jio has already partnered with Indian video streaming website Hotstar, which will enable users to view the platform from their set-top-boxes. The report also added that Jio may initially launch the DTH service with 300 channels and add more at a later stage.
According to the leak, the set-top-boxes, contain HDMI port, USB port, ethernet port, and other cable ports. There are no other details available on these boxes as of now. Reports also suggest the Jio may offer STB free service for a few months. With more and more people, especially in urban areas growing an appetite for internet streaming websites, it is likely that the wired broadband market will expand.
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Interestingly, in terms of market share of the total broadband (wired and wireless) services in the country as of December, Jio had already captured the apex spot with 30.56 percent market share in just 6 months of the announcement, followed by Airtel at 18.45 percent, Vodafone (14.83 percent). However, BSNL has slipped to the fifth spot with just 8.63 percent share. Vodafone already has fixed broadband operations in 17 markets in the world and boasts of 12.5 million customers.
Resource :http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/reliance-jio-could-launch-dth-services-soon-set-top-box-images-leaked-online/612818/