NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries (RIL) will launch 'MiFi' devices that will allow smartphone and tablet users to access highspeed internet on the go from their existing devices and enable speedy adoption of its services when it kicks off its much-awaited fourth generation (4G) offerings in mid-2013, said company executives. 

The company is expected to first roll out 4G services in Delhi and Mumbai. Company officials and vendors confirmed that the task of laying fibre optic cable networks has begun in these cities.

It has also entered into contracts with Ericsson and Samsung for building networks, with Microsoft for providing security solutions and with IBM for IT integration.

The RIL-owned Infotel Broadband had in 2010 won the licence to offer 4G services nationally and their launch is being tracked eagerly as the company is expected to shake up the telecom market in the same way it did a decade ago when it rolled out its low-cost voice services.

Analysts expect the company to offer very high-speed internet services at cheap rates, substantially reducing the costs of accessing data while significantly increasing the speed of data download and delivery.

But with a growing number of consumers accessing the net through smartphones and tablets, for 4G to quickly become a mass service, it will need to ride on these devices.

At present, there is only one smartphone available in the market that runs on the 2,300 MHz band, the frequency on which 4G services will be offered in the country. MiFi, a tiny, battery-operated, wireless device, could bridge this shortage of handsets by converting 4G signals into WiFi.

RIL Plans WiFi Networks

Almost all smartphones, tablets and laptops are either WiFi enabled or can be linked wirelessly to the internet on this technology platform.This device will help consumers to connect to RIL's 4G service through WiFi on the go, enabling the company to position this as a mass-market service. It will also allow voice customers of existing phone companies to access RIL's 4G services without having to buy new handsets.

This is also set to be first large-scale deployment of MiFi globally for providing access to voice and data services.

Existing regulations does not allow 4G operators to provide voice call facilities, but the new telecom policy, which is slated to come into effect from 2013, states that companies can offer all forms of communication services after migrating to an Unified Licence.

Infotel Broadband had recently sought the telecom department's approval for testing voice calls in the 2,300 MHz fourth generation band. The company had also demanded that it be allocated number series to test the newly developed Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology.

To complement its MiFi device strategy, RIL is also planning to build large scale WiFi networks in Mumbai and Delhi, executives aware of the company's plans said. It is learnt that Swedish gear maker Ericsson has bagged the deal to build about 30,000 WiFi hotspots across Delhi and Mumbai. RIL is targeting commercial buildings, offices and malls with this strategy, said an industry executive.

A hotspot is any location that offers wireless internet access, where anyone with a smartphone, tablet or a laptop can avail high-speed data services.