RJio plans to roll out Jio Fiber across 1,600 cities with target of ~20 mn residences and ~15 mn businesses through FTTH
(and not through cable). RJio’s plans seem aggressive, as total home broadband connections in
India stands at just 18.4 mn till date with only 0.16 mn net additions in last 2 years. Earlier, RJio’s management had agreed
that the last mile FTTH connectivity to homes will require hard work.
FTTH (fiber) penetration is low in India (only 1.2 mn connected homes) – an opportunity. An opportunity for RJio to rapidly
gain market share from:-
- 25 mn Hathway/Den homes
- 10 mn BSNL customers, who may switch for better services at attractive prices
RIL holds 72% stake in Hathway and 78.1% stake in Den Networks. Acquisitions were for (i) last mile connectivity of its GigaFiber and (ii) expediting customer acquisition for GigaFiber (gives access to 30k + LCOs and 24 mn homes in 750 cities). RJio plans to drive penetration in existing Den/Hathway connected homes through infrastructure upgrade, distribution and offering more services using their networks
