Reliance Jio Infocomm which shot to prominence with free 4G data and voice services is not stopping at reaching the milestone of reaching 100 million users in the country. The Mukesh Ambani-led telecom giant is gearing up to bring the US-based AirWire Connected Car technology to India soon.
The Connected Car IoT device which will be made in India by AirWire in association with Jio is expected to be priced roughly at par with the latter’s existing Mifi dongle (around INR 2,000).
To be called as Jio Car Connect, the device has been developed to provide a range of services and apps that are aimed at enhancing the driving experience. According to Jio’s spokesperson, the IoT device will fundamentally change the experiences of driving, owning, maintaining and securing the vehicle.
Of course, the device will be supported by the operator’s nationwide 4G data services and offer features like wifi hotspot, automotive telematics, location-based apps and more. Connected to the smartphone, the AirWire device will offer the owners the ability to remotely immobilize the vehicle.
It also relays vital information such as oil level, tyre pressure, fuel info, battery alerts, lock alerts, driving habit monitor, speed limit warnings, and so on. With the AirWire device, Jio is planning be the first mover in a promising automotive telematics sector in India.
Earlier Rumour about Reliance entering Taxi market
Before the news about Reliance Jio’s AirWire broke, there already was a rumour about Reliance wanting to enter the taxi cab market. Sketchy details of the rumour are below.
“Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is keen to enter into the business of technology based cab service providers and Reliance plans to buy all black and yellow cabs in Mumbai to compete with taxi-aggregators Uber and Ola.
Following successful talks between Reliance and Mumbai Taxi Union, Reliance will operate the taxis as a part of the connected radio cab service. It is rumored that Reliance has offered buying price of INR 5 lakhs per taxi which will also include license rights while the Taxi Union is bargaining for INR 7 lakhs. As per the terms of the offer made by Reliance, drivers will be offered a monthly salary of INR 20,000 per day shift along with 1 month paid leave. However, the Taxi Union is negotiating for 2 months leave per year and talks to settle these differences are yet underway.
Reliance has long been keen to enter the cab marketplace and earlier this year was even reported to have been in talks to enter the segment as a rival to Ola and Uber. The company is planning to fit all cars with 4G connection RIL Jio while the taxis will use compressed natural gas from RIL’s own fuel stations so as to minimize operational costs and compete efficiently with others in the market. Even as rumors prevail, there have been no reports from Reliance about this upcoming venture.”
