Mukesh Ambani-controlled Jio Platforms is exploring international partnerships to license its proprietary wireless broadband technology, including discussions with US companies Comcast and Charter Communications.
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL
Indian billionaire
Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms has held talks with several
companies including Comcast and Charter Communications
about licensing its wireless ?broadband technology in
exchange for potential stakes in the businesses, two people
familiar with the matter said.
Jio ?also held discussions with South Africa's MTN
Group, but the talks broke down because the two ?sides
were unable to agree on valuation and certain licensing issues,
the people said.
The people said there was no timetable for reaching a deal
with any of the parties that Jio has spoken to.
Jio, which listed in Mumbai last week after a
record-breaking $3.2 billion IPO, did ?not respond to Reuters
queries.
Spokespeople for Comcast and Charter declined to comment.
Controlled by Ambani's Reliance Industries, Jio
has for months signaled plans to expand internationally with its
proprietary broadband technology, which Reliance calls a “global
first”.
The ?system runs on free, unlicensed Wi-Fi frequencies,
making it cheaper to deliver internet to homes than traditional
cable networks ?or ?mobile-based services.
A deal with Comcast or Charter would give Jio a foothold in
the United States, where ?cable companies are losing home
broadband customers to fixed wireless and fiber.
Jio said last week it was targeting 10 to 15 partners
globally for its technology platform that works on so-called
unlicensed band radio (UBR). It works without cable connections
to homes, using transmitters mounted on nearby towers or
rooftops to beam ?high-speed internet over Wi-Fi frequencies to
receivers installed on ?buildings.
MTN could not persuade Jio to invest at a satisfactory
valuation, said one of the people. The financial details of the
potential partnership were not immediately clear.
MTN said it does not comment on market speculation.
THE LUCRATIVE US MARKET
In the United States, home broadband has become a key
battleground between telecom carriers and cable companies, as
carriers push ?fiber and fixed wireless services to win customers
from cable. Last month, Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said "fixed
wireless ?remains aggressive and continues to take share," on the
company's earnings call. He added that satellite providers could
eventually win broadband customers.
Still, cable held 62% of US residential broadband
connections at the end ?of 2024, and that dominance is likely to
continue for the foreseeable future, S&P Global Market
Intelligence said last year.
Comcast had about 28.3 million residential broadband
customers at the end of September, while Charter had about 29.4
million internet customers in June — but ?both have been losing
customers to fixed wireless and fiber. The Jio technology could
allow Comcast and Charter to sell broadband services more
cheaply than they do now.
"Telecom spectrum is a scarce resource and is expensive. UBR
can be very attractive to likes of Comcast and Charter as they
can deliver cellular quality broadband over spectrum they don't
have to buy," Neil Shah, director at Hong Kong-based
Counterpoint Research, said.
'RELIANCE TALKING TO EVERYONE'
Jio Platforms is India's biggest telecom company with over
500 million subscribers, second only to China Mobile on the
basis of single-country subscribers. It also has nearly 15
million wired broadband users ?and Reliance says its UBR-powered
users now exceed 6.5 million.
The international expansion push of Jio is co-led by Dan
Bailey, former chairman of Deutsche ?Bank’s technology, media and
telecom practice, who was appointed this year, and long-serving
senior executive Mathew Oommen.
The talks with Comcast and Charter come amid comments from
Jio’s leadership that the company is pursuing ?overseas growth by
selling its technology to foreign operators rather than building
its own networks abroad.
The second person added: "Reliance is talking to ?everyone.
Many players in Europe, United States."
In an analyst call on Friday, Managing Director Akash Ambani
said Jio wants to take the UBR technology to both developed and
developing markets, but will be "very, very selective about ?the
international markets."
"We want to be a technology-led business there," he said,
while highlighting the potential of the US market by saying 3%
of the customers there clog up 65% of the fixed wireless
capacity on 5G. "Those are the ?kind of markets that we have."
Published on November 4, 2026
