Latest Reliance Jio News | Top Reliance Jio News Headlines Today | Today India news | Breaking Reliance Jio News Today | English Reliance Jio News Headlines - TheDailyGuardian

Jio Gains 1.7M Subscribers in September Leaving Behind Airtel, Vodafone

November 22, 2024, 4:03 pm

In September 2024, Reliance Jio solidified its leadership in India’s telecom sector by adding 1.7 million active subscribers, as reported by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and highlighted in a Morgan Stanley research report. This growth stands in contrast to the losses experienced by competitors Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi), which saw declines of 1.3 million and 3.1 million active subscribers, respectively.

The telecom industry as a whole faced a reduction of 1.5 million active subscribers, marking the third consecutive month of decline and bringing the total active subscriber base to 1.06 billion. This trend suggests potential SIM consolidation, particularly in B and C circles, where subscriber numbers decreased by 3.2 million and 0.9 million, respectively. Conversely, metropolitan and A circles experienced gains, with 1.8 million and 0.7 million subscribers added, indicating stronger tariff absorption in urban markets.

Jio‘s success is attributed to its strategic decision to avoid tariff hikes, especially in the feature phone segment, appealing to price-sensitive customers. Morgan Stanley noted, “Reliance Jio tweaked some of its geographic-specific ISD (International Subscriber Dialing) plans, launched last month, although other TSPs do not have any geographic-specific ISD plans.” Specifically, Jio reduced the price of its ISD Pack for Bangladesh from ₹49 to ₹47 (seven-day validity, 20 minutes ISD calling) and increased the price of its ISD Pack for Australia and New Zealand from ₹69 to ₹75 (seven-day validity, 15 minutes ISD calling). Additionally, Jio expanded the coverage of its ₹79 ISD plan (seven-day validity, 10 minutes ISD calling) to now include France, alongside the UK, Spain, and Germany.

A Jefferies report added, “Lack of tariff hikes by BSNL/MTNL and no tariff hike in feature phone segment by Jio continues to support market share gains.” This strategy has allowed Jio to adjust its international subscriber dialing (ISD) plans to offer more attractive options.

State-owned BSNL, which had seen significant gains in the previous two months, experienced a slowdown in September, adding 1.5 million wireless data broadband subscribers—a notable drop from the average of 5.6 million in July and August. BSNL also lost subscribers in six circles, indicating that its market share gains are moderating. Despite this, the absence of tariff hikes from BSNL and MTNL continues to offer an advantage in certain price-sensitive markets, with a combined addition of 1.2 million subscribers.

Analysts suggest that while BSNL and MTNL may continue to capture some market share due to their lower tariffs, they are unlikely to significantly challenge the dominance of Jio and Airtel in the long term. Their growth potential is seen as limited, especially in the face of Jio’s continued expansion and premium offerings.

In the wireline broadband segment, growth moderated in September, with net additions of 0.79 million subscribers, down from 0.86 million in August. Despite this, Jio and Airtel continued to make strong strides, with Jio adding 0.62 million subscribers, increasing its market share to 32.5%, and Airtel adding 0.19 million, bringing its market share to 19.4%. BSNL, however, faced a setback, losing over 52,000 wireline subscribers.

Also read: Escalating Russia-Ukraine War: Are North Korean Troops, US, Or Trump To Blame?

The recent declines in subscriber numbers among private telecom operators can be attributed to the tariff hikes implemented in July 2024, with private players losing a combined total of 10.9 million subscribers. In contrast, BSNL gained 0.8 million subscribers, benefiting from its lower pricing strategy.

Reliance Jio Plans IPO for 2025, Potentially India’s Largest Ever

November 4, 2024, 6:40 pm

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani is reportedly preparing an initial public offering (IPO) for his telecom venture, Reliance Jio, slated for 2025. Following this, an IPO for Reliance Retail is anticipated, although it will come at a later date. According to sources cited by Reuters, this IPO could potentially surpass Hyundai India’s record $3.3 billion IPO, marking it as one of the largest in Indian history.

Analysts currently value Reliance Jio at over $100 billion, attributing its IPO plans to the company’s robust business model and revenue stability. As India’s leading telecom provider with 479 million subscribers, Jio’s growth trajectory supports this valuation. Although an official valuation decision is pending, investment bank Jefferies had estimated Jio’s worth to be around $112 billion as of July this year.

Competitive Landscape and Recent Investments

The IPO development arrives amid mounting competition, particularly as Reliance Jio prepares to face off against Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service, pending its launch in India. Additionally, Ambani has successfully raised $25 billion for his telecom, digital, and retail enterprises from notable investors, including KKR, General Atlantic, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Jio Platforms, which encompasses Jio’s telecom and digital sectors, has seen 33% of its equity acquired by foreign investors after raising $17.84 billion in recent years.

Future Plans for Reliance Retail

The IPO for Reliance Retail, which manages India’s largest grocery network with 3,000 supermarkets, is expected to be launched after 2025. This delay is attributed to “operational issues” within the retail division, which Ambani’s team intends to address before proceeding with an IPO. Moreover, to avoid overwhelming the market with two significant IPOs simultaneously, Reliance aims to focus on stabilizing its retail operations first.

Challenges in Retail Growth The operational challenges facing Reliance Retail stem from its rapid expansion, which included entering the e-commerce space to compete with Amazon and adopting quick commerce models for 10-minute deliveries. This swift growth has resulted in losses for some physical stores, leading the company to report a 1.1% decline in sales for the July-September quarter. Despite these challenges, Bernstein valued Reliance Retail at $112 billion last year.

Ambanis Celebrate Diwali by Gifting Employees Nuts and Dry Fruits

October 28, 2024, 7:26 pm

As the festive season of Diwali approaches, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has embraced the tradition of gifting its employees. This year, the company has provided a festive box containing packets of cashew nuts, almonds, and raisins, all neatly packaged in a cloth bag.

Reliance Jio Infocomm shared an unboxing video of the gift

A software developer at Reliance Jio Infocomm shared an unboxing video of the gift, showcasing a white box adorned with the messages “Deepawali Greetings” and “Shubh Deepawali” in both English and Hindi. Inside, employees found a potli bag containing one packet each of the three types of nuts. The gift box also included a personalized card featuring a note from Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, their children—Akash Ambani, Shloka Mehta, Isha Ambani, Anand Piramal, Anant Ambani, and Radhika Merchant—and their four grandchildren.

The video shared on social media has garnered over 1.6 million views and sparked discussions among users, with comments reflecting a mix of experiences. Some users mentioned receiving air fryers or cash bonuses from their employers for Diwali 2024.

This isn’t the first time Reliance has offered similar gifts; last year and the year before, employees received a pink box filled with nuts and dry fruits. Additionally, in July, employees were gifted a red box to celebrate the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, featuring a note that read, “With the divine grace of our devis and devtas, we celebrate the wedding of Anant and Radhika. With best wishes, Nita and Mukesh Ambani.”

Reliance Jio Offers 30% Discount For These Broadband Users

July 26, 2024, 10:34 am

Reliance Jio has introduced the Jio Freedom Day offers for new broadband customers. Through this Freedom Offer, new JioAirFiber users can enjoy a 30% discount on new connections by getting a waiver of the Rs 1,000 installation fee.

Details of the Jio Freedom Offer:

Currently, users pay Rs 3,121 for a 3-month all-in-one plan (Rs 2,121 for the plan + Rs 1,000 installation fee). With the Jio Freedom Offer, the installation fee is waived, and customers will only pay Rs 2,121. This offer is available to all new AirFiber users who join between July 26 and August 15, including:

All existing bookings activated by August 15
All new bookings activated by August 15
All new activations by August 15
The free installation is valid on plans with durations of 3, 6, and 12 months. The offer applies to both AirFiber 5G and AirFiber Plus new users.

How to Get a New Jio AirFiber Broadband Connection:

To get a new AirFiber connection, customers can give a missed call to 60008-60008 or visit jio.com and leave an interest query.

In May this year, Reliance Jio launched a JioFiber and Jio AirFiber plan for Rs 888. It includes a complimentary Netflix subscription along with access to 14 other OTT platforms. According to a report by Economics Times, this is the company’s most affordable plan that offers a free Netflix subscription.

Benefits of the Reliance JioFiber Rs 888 plan include 30Mbps speed and unlimited data, which is capped at 3,300GB for JioFiber and 1TB for Jio AirFiber under the Fair Usage Policy (FUP). The plan is valid for 1 month.

Reliance Jio Announces Tariff Hike From July 3 & Unlimited 5G Data Plans: How Will This Effect You?

June 27, 2024, 9:09 pm

Reliance Jio has announced a significant hike in its mobile service rates, effective from July 3. This marks the first increase in Jio’s mobile service rates in about two-and-a-half years, impacting nearly all its plans.

The price for the lowest recharge option will rise to ₹19, a 27% increase from the previous rate of ₹15 for a 1 GB data add-on pack. The popular 75 GB postpaid data plan will now cost ₹449, up from ₹399. Additionally, the ₹666 unlimited plan with an 84-day validity will see a 20% increase, now priced at ₹799.

In unveiling the new plans, Jio emphasized its commitment to offering high-quality service at globally competitive prices. The company highlighted the rapid deployment of Jio True 5G, boasting the fastest-ever 5G rollout on such a scale worldwide. According to Jio, nearly 85% of the operational 5G cells in India belong to Jio. The company takes pride in providing a superior 5G experience with unlimited 5G data on its leading plans at no additional cost to users.

Akash Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, stated that the new plans are aimed at fostering industry innovation and promoting sustainable growth through investments in 5G and Artificial Intelligence. “The introduction of new plans is a step in the direction of furthering industry innovation and driving sustainable growth through investments in 5G and AI technology,” Ambani said. “Ubiquitous, high-quality, affordable internet is the backbone of Digital India, and Jio takes pride in contributing to this. Jio will always put our country and customers first and will continue to invest for India.”

This rate hike comes as Jio continues to lead India’s telecommunications industry, pushing forward with technological advancements and expanding its network capabilities to support the nation’s digital infrastructure.

5G Spectrum: Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, And Reliance Jio To Compete

May 9, 2024, 3:20 am

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are set to compete for a share of the 5G spectrum valued at Rs 96,317.65 crore. As per sources from the telecom department cited in an Economic Times report, spectrum auctions are slated for the next auction round, commencing on June 6. Initially scheduled for May 20, the auction date was postponed due to general elections. The telecom department received three auction applications from India’s private telecom operators by the application deadline.

Industry experts and analysts anticipate the forthcoming spectrum sale to be subdued, as India’s leading telecom companies already possess sufficient 5G airwaves for their existing requirements. Additionally, no other company besides the three telecoms is reported to have applied for spectrum this time. In the previous auction conducted in June 2022, an Adani group company emerged as a surprise bidder.

Which spectrum bands are up for auction?

The auction will include airwaves across eight key bands: 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz.

What are Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, and Reliance Jio expected to bid for?

Industry experts anticipate that Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) will engage in selective bidding, focusing primarily on renewing their existing licenses in specific circles. Airtel needs to renew spectrum in J&K, Odisha, Bihar, UP (East), West Bengal, and Assam, while Vi requires renewals in West Bengal and UP West circles. Estimates suggest that Airtel and Vi may bid only for renewals valued at around Rs 4,200 crore and Rs 1,950 crore, respectively. In contrast, Reliance Jio is not under pressure to renew any licenses this year.

Important Auction Details: Dates and Further Information

Key Auction Details:

– Spectrum licenses will be valid for 20 years, with payments spread over 20 annual installments.

– Successful bidders have the option to surrender the spectrum after a minimum of 10 years.

– Financial and performance bank guarantees are not compulsory for participation.

– Auctioned airwaves will be exempt from Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) following recent telecom reforms.

– Applicant details will be published by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) by May 10.

Application withdrawal deadline: May 17
Final bidder list expected: May 20
Successful bidders to deposit amount within 10 days of receiving demand notice from DoT
DoT to issue frequency assignment letter within 30 days of receiving payment

This Indian Company becomes World’s Largest Network Operator in data traffic

April 23, 2024, 1:45 pm

Reliance Jio, India’s telecom giant, has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic, surpassing China Mobile. This achievement was announced during Jio’s quarterly results announcement, highlighting the company’s remarkable growth and achievements across various segments.

As of March 2024, Jio boasts a subscriber base of 481.8 million, with 108 million subscribers on its True5G Standalone network, showcasing its dominance in the Indian telecom market. The total traffic on the Jio network has reached 40.9 Exabytes, marking a 35.2 per cent year-on-year increase, driven by the growing adoption of 5G and Home services.

Approximately 28 per cent of the traffic comes from 5G subscribers, indicating a rapid transition towards next-generation connectivity. Jio’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services have also contributed significantly to the data traffic.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dramatic 2.4x increase in annual data traffic, with per capita monthly data usage soaring to 28.7 GB from just 13.3 GB three years ago, underscoring the increasing reliance on digital connectivity in India.

Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, expressed satisfaction with the company’s performance and its contribution to the Indian economy. He highlighted Reliance’s significant achievements, including being the first Indian company to cross the Rs 100,000-crore threshold in pre-tax profits.

Ambani emphasized Jio’s role in driving digital transformation in India, from upgrading 2G users to smartphones to leading the effort in producing AI-driven solutions. He reiterated Jio’s commitment to strengthening the nation’s digital infrastructure and providing innovative solutions to consumers.

Reliance Retail, the company’s retail arm, also showed robust growth, with a 36 per cent increase in footfalls and strong digital commerce platforms offering a broad brand catalogue.

In addition to its telecom and retail segments, Reliance Industries Limited has shown resilience in its Oil to Chemicals (O2C) segment, achieving significant production milestones in the KG-D6 block, which now accounts for 30 per cent of India’s domestic gas production.

Financially, Reliance Jio has achieved several remarkable milestones, with consolidated EBITDA at Rs 178,677 crore and consolidated Profit Before Tax (PBT) surpassing Rs 100,000 crore. The company’s market capitalization has also crossed Rs 20,00,000 crore, solidifying its position as one of India’s most valuable companies.

Delhi NCR : Reliance Jio launches fire safety and prevention campaign

September 11, 2023, 4:40 pm

Reliance Jio has launched a campaign to improve fire safety and fire prevention protocols at all of its network sites in Delhi NCR. This campaign, which will last until September 30, highlights Jio’s dedication to safety and aims to educate its field teams and service provider partners about fire safety.

This campaign’s main goal is to promote a culture of safety awareness by educating people about fire safety and preventative measures. By doing this, Reliance Jio hopes to reduce the frequency of fire incidents at its network sites and eventually achieve a record of zero incidents. The campaign’s main focuses are educational outreach, safety drills and training, improved infrastructure, community engagement, cooperation with authorities, and adherence to standards.

A major focus will be on adherence to safety standards, including proper power connections and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
At the beginning of the campaign, Jio employees and service provider partners pledged their commitment to fire safety.
The campaign further includes the display of informative posters illustrating best safety practices and engaging contests to promote safety awareness and encourage the adoption of preventive measures.

JioMart layoffs:Over 1,000 employees, including 500 executives were asked to resign, says report

May 23, 2023, 12:08 pm

In an effort to streamline operations after buying Metro Cash & Carry, JioMart is said to have fired around 1,000 workers. Reliance Industries’ online wholesale division intends to adopt a wider cost-cutting plan in the upcoming weeks that involves a two-thirds staff reduction in its wholesale division. After JioMart started a pricing war in the B2B grocery market, these tactics are meant to increase margins and decrease losses.Over 1,000 staff, including 500 executives from JioMart’s corporate office, have been asked to quit, according to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Economic Times. The remaining sales workers have been moved to a variable pay system, cutting their fixed income, and hundreds of people have been placed on a performance improvement plan. LiveMint was unable to independently confirm the assertion.There is a crossover of responsibilities in the backend and online sales operations as a result of the recent acquisition of Metro Cash and Carry, which added 3,500 permanent employees. Accordingly, JioMart intends to close more than half of its 150 or so fulfilment centres, which provide groceries and other items to neighbourhood stores.According to senior company executives, JioMart seen a spike in quarterly orders through WhatsApp in the past. JioMart and WhatsApp worked together to merge their systems in August 2022, giving users a seamless purchasing experience inside the social messaging service.Customers were able to browse the large JioMart catalogue, add goods to their cart, and complete purchases all within the WhatsApp platform thanks to this integration. This strategic relationship was made possible by the collaboration between Jio Platforms and Meta, which has a sizeable minority stake in Jio Platforms.

Numerous significant multinational corporations with operations in India have made layoffs. An previous report claimed that 500 employees from different companies and responsibilities at Amazon India would be laid go.

These layoffs occur at a time when the Indian e-commerce market is experiencing fierce competition and businesses are routinely revising their strategy to remain competitive.

Beta trial of Reliance Jio’s 5G service to begin in these 4 cities from tomorrow

October 4, 2022, 6:40 pm

Reliance Jio will begin a beta trial of its 5G services in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi from October 5.
An invite from the company will be sent to the customers under Jio True welcome offer to try its 5G services and the subscribers will get unlimited 5G data with up to 1 gigabit per second speed.

“Post the successful demonstration of its True-5G services at the India Mobile Congress 2022, Jio is announcing the Beta trial of its True-5G services on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, for Jio users in 4 cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi,” Jio said in the statement.
Jio True 5G is expected to become the world’s most advanced 5G service. The telecom giant’s mission with 5G is to speed up India’s transformation into a Digital Society.
Jio has over 425 million users and it has a mission of speeding up India’s transformation into a digital society. This connectivity and technology will help serve humanity by bettering lives and providing increased livelihood.

“Our Prime Minister has delivered a clarion call for accelerated 5G roll-out across India to realise the full potential of a Digital India,” stated Akash M. Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited. In response, Jio has created the most ambitious and rapid 5G roll-out strategy ever for a nation of our size.

Ambani continued, “Leading the digital revolution in India. Jio 5G will be True 5G, and in our opinion, India deserves TRUE-5G. The most cutting-edge 5G network in the world, Jio 5G, was created by Indians for Indians.”

Using 5G technology, PM Modi test drives a car from Delhi in Europe

October 1, 2022, 1:42 pm

Using the newly launched 5G technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a test drive of a car in Europe from Delhi’s Pragati Maidan on Saturday. Union minister Piyush Goyal tweeted the photo and wrote, “India driving the world’.PM Modi inaugurated the India Mobile Congress 2022 exhibition before he launched the 5G mobile telephony services in India. At the exhibition, he visited the pavilions of the different telecom operators to experience the first-hand experience of the 5G technology.PM Modi was briefed about the technology by Mukesh Ambani and Akash Ambani at Reliance Jio stalls.Then PM Modi went to the stalls of Airtel, Vodafone Idea, C-DOT and others.Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Telecom is the gateway, the foundation of Digital India. It is the mode to bring digital services to every person.”Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani promised to deliver 5G to every town, every taluka by December 2023. He said, “I can say we are ready to take leadership and Indian Mobile Congress should now become Asian Mobile Congress & Global Mobile Congress. India may have started a little late, but will finish first.”

Time Magazine’s list of emerging leaders includes only one Indian, Akash Ambani

September 29, 2022, 12:01 pm

Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio, has been named to Time Magazine’s Time100 Next list, which recognises 100 rising stars from around the world. The only Indian on the list of emerging leaders is Mukesh Ambani, the 30-year-old son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

According to the global publication, Akash Ambani, the scion of “Indian industrialist royalty,” was always expected to rise in business but has been working hard.

On June 28, Akash Ambani was appointed chairman of Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom company. Prior to his current role, Ambani was a non-executive director at Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.

The Ambani scion was a member of the Jio teams that negotiated Meta Platforms’ investment in the telecom giant’s parent company, in addition to leading other acquisitions.

Akash Ambani announced the launch of JioAirfiber, a wifi hotspot that will allow users to access fiber-like speeds at their homes and offices, at Reliance Industries’ annual general meeting in August.

“Jio 5G gives ultra-high fiber-like speed over the air without any wires. We are calling it JioAirFiber. With JioAirFiber, it will be a real easy to quickly connect your home or office to Gigabit-speed Internet,” he had said.

His role is significant because Reliance Jio plans to launch standalone 5G services in select Indian metropolises by Diwali this year. By December 2023, the telecom behemoth he leads plans to extend the 5G network to all cities, villages, and talukas.

American singer SZA, actress Sydney Sweeney, basketball player Ja Morant, Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, actor and television personality Keke Palmer, and environmental activist Farwiza Farhan are among those on the list.

Amrapali Gan, an Indian-born American entrepreneur, is also on this list.

“What unites these individuals are their extraordinary efforts to shape our world—and to define our future”, the magazine said.

Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate 5G services on October 1

September 25, 2022, 1:33 pm

The 5G services will be launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1 at the India Mobile Congress.

In October, the Prime Minister will open a four-day conference where top telecom providers including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea will outline their 5G plans for the nation.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, “the 5G services will launch in India at the India Mobile Congress on October 1.”

The department of telecommunications (DoT) and the cellular operators association of India jointly organise the India Mobile Congress (IMC), one of the major telecom, media, and technology events in Asia (COAI).

This news comes about a month after Reliance Industries Ltd. announced it would invest 2 lakh crore to build out its 5G services in important cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata by Diwali and throughout India by December next year.

The Reliance Jio intends to launch Jio 5G by this Diwali 2022 in a number of significant locations, including the megacities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

Within the next two months, by Diwali, we will launch Jio 5G across multiple key cities, including the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. By December 2023, which is less than 18 months from today, we will deliver Jio 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil of our country,” Ambani told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on August 29.

By March 2024, Bharti Airtel, a competitor of Reliance, intends to roll out its 5G services in 5,000 cities and towns.

“By December, we should have coverage in key metros. After that, we will expand rapidly to cover the entire country,” Gopal Vittal, the chief executive officer of the second largest telecom operator, said earlier this month.

Even though Vodafone Idea purchased spectrum in 17 circles across the nation during the auction month, it has not yet made any announcements regarding its plans for 5G services.

The government’s airwave auction saw Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd emerge as the biggest buyer, spending 88,078 crore, more than twice as much as Bharti Airtel Ltd, which came in second.

By selling 51,236MHz of spectrum at the week-long auction, Ambani’s acquisitions assisted the government in earning a record-breaking 1.5 lakh crore. Wireless operators purchased 71% of the available airwaves in the 72,098MHz band, including 5G spectrum, with the sale of spectrum in the 3.3GHz band generating the highest revenue of 80,590 crore. A total of 39,270 crore, 14,709 crore, and 10,376 crore were generated from the sale of airwaves in the 700MHz, 26GHz, and 1,800MHz bands, respectively.

“We understand that the spectrum purchased is good enough for covering the entire country. So, there’s good reason to believe that in the coming two to three years, we’ll have very good coverage of 5G in the entire country,” telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said after the auction.