Broadband
Jio Fiber service to launch on 5 Sept 2019
MUMBAI: At the 42nd annual general meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani announced the much-awaited launch date for its fibre-to-the-home service. Jio Fiber will be launched on a commercial basis on 5 September on the third anniversary of the telecom giant’s launch.
“Jio Fiber Services to be launched on commercial basis on 5 September 2019 – on the third anniversary of Jio’s launch. (We have) plan to reach 20 million residences and 15 million business establishments in 1,600 towns,” the business tycoon announced.
In the last AGM of RIL, Ambani announced the high-speed fixed-line broadband services for retail customers. At the time of announced, Ambani revealed that it already invested more than $250 million in the industry. While the upcoming service has been on trial run since last year, he added that trial homes are, on average, consuming more than 100 GBs every month indicating the ever-increasing usage of internet in India.
For a smooth rollout of the fibre service, Jio also made significant investments in two large multi system operators (MSOs) of India – Hathway and Den Networks. “Over the past months, we have upgraded our MSOs’ infrastructure to world-class standards. Now LCO partners can offer the largest bouquet of high-definition channels to customers with better features, reliability and customer experience than even DTH,” Ambani commented.
Keeping the mixed economy structure of Indian internet users, Jio Fiber’s plans have been fixed from 100 mbps speed to all the way up to 1 Gbps. The pricing will range between Rs 700 per month to Rs 10,000 per month.
To increase user engagement, Jio Fiber is set to offer various other entertainment opportunities to its consumers. Ambani also stated that Jio Fiber consumers will have access to premium over-the-top services. Moreover, Jio Fiber will launch a premium service where customers can watch movies at home on the release day itself, which will be launched in the middle of 2020.
Broadband
Zoff Foods extends Shilpa Shetty partnership into ninth year
Spice brand reinforces trust-led positioning amid growth and funding push.
MUMBAI: Nine years, one flavour and the recipe clearly still works. Zoff Foods has extended its long-running association with Shilpa Shetty, marking nine consecutive years of her as brand ambassador as the company scales its presence across Indian households. What began as a digital-first collaboration has gradually evolved into a defining element of the brand’s identity. Over nearly a decade, the partnership has mirrored Zoff’s own journey from an emerging challenger to a fast-growing FMCG player with a widening footprint across e-commerce, quick commerce and offline retail channels.
The logic behind the continuity is straightforward. In a category where trust and familiarity drive purchase decisions, particularly in spices and ready-to-cook segments, long-term associations tend to carry more weight than short bursts of visibility. Shetty’s positioning as a fitness-conscious, health-aware public figure aligns with the brand’s emphasis on purity and quality factors that are increasingly shaping consumer choices in modern Indian kitchens.
The extension also comes at a time when Zoff Foods is entering a more aggressive growth phase. The company recently raised $2 million in a Pre-Series B funding round led by JM Financial Private Equity, with participation from Aman Gupta, signalling a push towards expanding distribution, product innovation and market reach.
Company executives have positioned the continued partnership as a strategic anchor amid this expansion, reinforcing brand recall while entering new markets. For Shetty, the association remains rooted in shared values around authenticity and ingredient integrity attributes that resonate strongly with increasingly mindful consumers.
In a market crowded with new-age brands and shifting loyalties, Zoff’s approach suggests a different playbook: build slowly, stay consistent, and let familiarity do the heavy lifting. Because sometimes, in both branding and cooking, it’s not about reinventing the dish, it’s about perfecting it over time.
