Reliance Jio’s parent detailed plans to further a goal to develop networking equipment in India, completing the formation of a joint venture with Sanmina to create a high-tech manufacturing hub in the country.

In a statement, Reliance Industries detailed plans for a subsidiary to commence production of 5G, cloud and data centre equipment at a Sanmina facility in Chennai. It explained the plant’s output could be upped in line with future market development, moves which could also see additional sites brought into the venture.

The JV with Reliance Strategic Business Venture will “prioritise high-technology infrastructure hardware”, including 5G, cloud and “hyperscale” data centres equipment, among others.

In addition to supporting Sanmina’s current customer base, the JV will serve as an incubation centre for product development and hardware start-ups.

Jio moved to develop 4G and 5G network equipment to reduce its reliance on imports and cut costs in 2020.

GSMA Intelligence estimated Jio was the largest operator in India by connections at end-September, on close to 429 million.