In what can termed as a prelude to the launch of its 4G services, Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) has rolled out a mobile application for chat and video calling on Android and iOS platforms.

The application – Jio Chat – is built much on the lines of WhatsApp, Line, Viber and WeChat.

The app, which works across operators, also has videoconferencing facility, chat channels to connect with celebrities and even supports offline chat.

The application is free to download and use, according to the information on the company’s website. The app also supports pictures, stickers and drawings.

Bold initiative “This is bold initiative by the company to take on over-the-top operators on a head-on collision as it gears up to launch services in the country. We expect the company to launch services sometime this year,” Rishi Tejpal Singh, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner, said.

With the company not own a commercial telecom network, the services would be open to subscribers of other operators now, he said, adding, the company might look at integrating these services with its 4G operations.

In spectrum auctions in March, RJIL has acquired spectrum in 13 key circles across India for a total of about ₹10,077 crore.

Following the acquisition, the company said it has spectrum in either 800 MHz or 1,800 MHz or both across 20 of the total 22 circles in the country.

It also has 2,300 MHz spectrum across all the 22 circles in the country.

RJIL, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, was also readying to launch 4G services in the country, probably sometime this year, even though an exact date is yet to be announced.

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