Jio Tops Global Data Traffic; Ambani Announces New Milestones

Reliance Jio has claimed the title of the world’s largest data company, now handling 8% of global data traffic, according to Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). Speaking at RIL’s 47th annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday, Ambani highlighted that Jio’s dominance has turned India into the world’s biggest data market.

Jio has completed its nationwide 5G rollout and is now targeting an ambitious goal: adding 1 million new home broadband customers every month. Ambani revealed that Jio’s data prices are just a quarter of the global average, making high-speed data accessible to more people.

Jio Platforms (JPL), the digital arm of Reliance, is also making waves, ranking among India’s top 12 companies by net profit. The company reported a 11.7% increase in net profit for the first quarter of the current financial year, driven by strong subscriber growth.

Ambani also mentioned that Jio now has over 130 million 5G users, with Jio owning more than 85% of the 5G radio cells in the country. The company’s JioAirFiber, its 5G-based home Wi-Fi service, hit 1 million customers within six months of launch and is set to add another million in the next 100 days.

At the AGM, Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani unveiled several new home entertainment offerings, including Jio TvOS, a new operating system for Jio TV, and Jio TV+, a service combining content from over a dozen OTT apps, live TV channels, and on-demand movies.

Jio’s influence extends to over a million small and medium businesses in India and is a key partner for 80% of the top 5,000 large enterprises. The company aims to connect more than 20 million small and medium businesses with digital services.

With 5G adoption on the rise, Jio’s network is set to absorb over 200 million 2G users in India. The company also noted that the majority of smartphones sold in India for over Rs 8,000 are 5G-ready, which is expected to boost 5G adoption and data usage further.

Jio’s recent tariff hikes, which ranged from 12-25%, are larger compared to rival Bharti Airtel, which increased tariffs less aggressively. However, Airtel’s hikes affected its 2G subscribers, while Jio has not adjusted rates for this segment.

Ambani highlighted that JioBharat phones, launched last year, are playing a significant role in upgrading 2G users, with nearly half of these customers choosing JioBharat devices.