Reliance Jio Platforms is all set to enter a new business i.e. video conferencing and the firm calls it, JioMeet, that is designed to take on various such apps including Zoom and Google Meet.

On Thursday evening chief of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani launched JioMeet.

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This launch falls in line with Minister Narendra Modi’s call for local ke liye vocal, especially after the government banned 59 Chinese apps.

JioMeet, that looks similar to Chinese app Zoom, has already been downloaded more than 1,00,000 times on Google Play Store. It comes with enterprise-grade host control and security, and can be used for 1:1 video calls and hosting meetings with up to 100 participants.

The company says a free call can be uninterrupted for up to 24 hours long. At the moment, there are no paid plans and looking at Jio’s track record, it seems like this ‘free service’ may go for some years.

Other highlights include easy sign up with either mobile number or email ID, meeting in HD audio and video quality. It offers support where the users can click on a JioMeet invite link and join from his or her browser without downloading the application.

“Conduct meetings with your customers, partners and people outside your office. Join from laptop/desktop or mobile device or even your legacy video device as it supports the legacy conferencing devices,” according to Jio Platforms.

Back-end technology optimises experience with HD video quality even at lower bandwidths and intuitive and user-friendly interface enhances overall conferencing experience.

“All your meetings are encrypted and password protected, ensuring complete privacy and data protection,” said the JioMeet team.

The company, however, did not provide any data if the service will be available outside of India or not.

Meanwhile, industry experts hailed the arrival of a desi video meet app, at a time when onus is on the Indian corporate and enterprise world to create world-class apps that can reach global heights.

As we move to a neo normal where online collaboration tools hold supreme – both in professional and personal spheres – the launch of JioMeet is apt and timely.

“The current market dynamics will potentially provide enough tailwinds to JioMeet to gain currency, on the back of its features, such as no limits on call durations, and seamless switching between devices,” Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), told IANS.

The launch also comes at a time when millions of people across India are working and studying from home and using China-based video conferencing services to stay in touch with their friends, colleagues and fellow students.

JioMeet can be used for creating instant meetings to chat with friends and also to schedule a meeting in advance and share meeting details with invitees.

The application can be used on Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, SIP/H.323 systems. Each meeting is password protected and the host can enable a “Waiting Room” to ensure no participant joins without permission.

“Security and privacy have got more prominence and scrutiny in recent times, and any vendor which is able to offer enterprise-grade security will curry favour,” said Ram.

JioMeet also comes at a time when the government is providing greater support to startups working towards enriching the digital universe.

Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said this week that while Indians download a lot of apps from Google Play Store and Apple App Store, it is time to upload some.

His comments came in the backdrop of India banning 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, Helo, Likee, SHAREit, Mi community apps and UC Browser.