The deal is part of Reliance Jio’s wider strategy to strike partnerships with key tower infrastructure companies in an effort to build a 4G network nationwide. The company already has similar infrastructure sharing agreements with Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Viom Network, and American Tower Company.
The deal will see Reliance Jio have access to Ascend’s 4,500 mobile towers, bringing the number of available towers for Reliance Jio to roll out its network to 192,500.
"Our 12 years' experience in the market, coupled with strong relationships with mobile network operators and equipment suppliers, allows us to bring improvements right across the value chain,” said Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi, director and CEO of Ascend Telecom Infrastructure.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with RJIL for the launch of their 4G services."
Reliance Jio is the first operator in the country to get a unified licence for all 22 service areas and is working on a nationwide network to deliver high-speed data services in India, which the company believes is hugely underserved.
