Jio Platforms’ talks with Comcast and Charter Communications over licensing its unlicensed-band broadband technology are not simply an overseas business-development exercise. They point to a larger shift in how urban internet networks may be built: away from exclusive dependence on cable, purchased spectrum or fibre extended to every home, and towards wireless systems that use existing towers and rooftops to reach buildings.
Reuters reported that Jio has discussed arrangements in which its wireless broadband technology could be licensed in exchange for potential stakes in partner companies. Talks have also taken place with South Africa’s MTN Group, although those discussions broke down over valuation and certain licensing issues, according to two people familiar with the matter. There is no timetable for an agreement with Comcast, Charter or any other company mentioned in the report.
Jio did not respond to Reuters queries. Spokespeople for Comcast and Charter declined to comment, while MTN said it does not comment on market speculation. Those limitations matter because the discussions remain exploratory rather than a confirmed commercial deployment. Yet the reported negotiations reveal how Reliance Industries is attempting to convert a domestic network capability into an international technology platform.
The proposed model is based on what Reliance calls a global first: unlicensed band radio, or UBR. The system uses free, unlicensed Wi-Fi frequencies rather than spectrum that telecom operators must purchase or lease. Transmitters mounted on nearby towers or rooftops send high-speed internet signals to receivers installed on buildings. Because the last connection does not require a cable to every home, the approach could reduce the physical infrastructure required to serve some neighbourhoods.
That distinction is important in cities, where broadband expansion is shaped not only by demand but also by the cost and difficulty of extending networks through dense built environments. Fibre and cable deployment can require street excavation, access to buildings, permissions from property owners and coordination with multiple utilities. A wireless connection from an existing elevated structure can avoid some of those requirements. The supplied reporting, however, does not establish the technology’s deployment cost, performance across different building types or reliability under all operating conditions.
Jio says its UBR-powered user base in India has exceeded 6.5 million. The company also has nearly 15 million wired broadband users and more than 500 million telecom subscribers, making it India’s largest telecom company by subscribers and second only to China Mobile on a single-country basis, according to the report. These figures give Jio a substantial domestic operating base from which to demonstrate and refine the technology before selling it abroad.
The international strategy described by Jio’s leadership is notable because it does not primarily involve building and owning networks in foreign markets. Instead, the company is seeking to supply technology to existing operators. That reduces the need for Jio to acquire local infrastructure, spectrum and customers directly, while giving incumbent telecom or cable companies a possible additional way to serve homes.
Managing Director Akash Ambani said during an analyst call that Jio wanted to take UBR technology to developed and developing markets but would be selective about international markets. He said the company wanted to be a technology-led business overseas. The reported expansion is co-led by Dan Bailey, a former chairman of Deutsche Bank’s technology, media and telecom practice, and long-serving senior executive Mathew Oommen.
The United States is attractive because its home broadband market is being contested by cable companies, telecom carriers and newer fixed-wireless providers. Comcast and Charter remain major residential broadband operators, but both have been losing customers to fixed wireless and fibre, according to the report. 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.
The competitive pressure is visible in Comcast’s own assessment. Co-chief executive Mike Cavanagh said last month that fixed wireless remained aggressive and continued to take share. He also said satellite providers could eventually win broadband customers. The figures cited by S&P Global Market Intelligence show that cable still accounted for 62 per cent of US residential broadband connections at the end of 2024, suggesting that the market remains dominated by established networks even as their position faces pressure.
Jio’s proposed role would be different from that of a conventional mobile operator. It would offer a way for cable companies to extend or defend their broadband businesses using spectrum they do not have to buy. Neil Shah, director at Counterpoint Research, said unlicensed band radio could allow companies such as Comcast and Charter to deliver cellular-quality broadband without owning the relevant spectrum. That potential is the commercial logic behind the talks, although no agreement has been announced.
The model also reflects the economics of urban connectivity. Spectrum is scarce and expensive, while network operators must constantly balance capacity, coverage and customer acquisition. A system based on unlicensed frequencies could lower one major input cost. But it would not remove the need for transmitters, rooftop access, receivers, backhaul, maintenance, customer equipment and regulatory compliance. The available material does not provide a full cost comparison with cable, fibre or conventional fixed wireless services.
Jio’s comments also point to an emerging distinction between network ownership and network capability. An operator may not need to control every physical asset if it can license a system that works with local towers, rooftops and customer premises equipment. For cities, this could make broadband expansion faster in areas where digging new ducts or laying cable is difficult. It could also shift negotiations towards access to buildings and public or private elevated structures.
That shift raises governance questions even though the reported talks are commercial. Wireless infrastructure depends on permissions, frequency rules, equipment standards and the management of interference. Building access may involve housing societies, landlords, municipalities and other infrastructure owners. The article does not identify the regulatory approvals that would be required in the United States or other target markets, nor does it establish how UBR would be governed where several operators use the same urban space.
There is also a difference between technical reach and meaningful broadband access. A transmitter may cover a building, but households still need compatible receivers, an affordable service plan and an installation pathway. Dense urban neighbourhoods may offer many potential customers within range, while low-density or obstructed areas could present different economics. The reported user figures demonstrate Jio’s existing scale but do not by themselves show how the system performs across India’s varied urban environments.
The MTN discussions underline another constraint: international technology expansion is not only about engineering. The talks reportedly ended because the two sides could not agree on valuation and licensing issues. That suggests the commercial structure of a partnership—who pays, who controls the technology, how revenue is shared and whether the partner receives an ownership stake—may be as important as the technical proposition.
Jio’s stated target of finding 10 to 15 global partners indicates that it is testing a platform strategy rather than relying on a single foreign deal. The absence of a timetable means the talks with Comcast and Charter could still end without an agreement. The same applies to other potential partners mentioned by the company. What is established is that Jio is actively pursuing overseas licensing opportunities and positioning UBR as a technology that can serve both developed and developing markets.
The larger urban question is whether broadband networks can expand more efficiently by combining wireless access with existing city infrastructure. Jio’s approach places rooftops, towers and building receivers at the centre of that possibility, rather than treating the street as the only route for network expansion. Its success will depend on factors that remain unresolved in the supplied evidence: actual performance, cost, regulatory treatment, building access, customer equipment and the terms of partnerships.
For now, the talks offer a clear signal rather than a completed transaction. Jio has a large domestic user base, a stated international technology strategy and a specific interest in the US broadband market. But until a partner, licensing arrangement or deployment plan is formally announced, the global impact of UBR remains a proposition under negotiation rather than an established change in the broadband market.
