Selling a 30-gigabyte plan for US$4, Jio grew at ~10 million subscribers per month for three years. Q1 2021 added "only" 5 million per month to 428 million. Incumbent Bharti is invigorated and the pandemic is strong in India. (The pandemic in April and May is horrifying, with a toll that may match the Bengali famine of 1943.)

Perhaps even more amazing, Jio claims a generous profit of ₹ 3,508 crore, about US$500 million, up 47%. Some think a low depreciation rate has inflated the profitability, but that's still a remarkable achievement.

No figures were released for Jio Fiber. That's been actively promoted but the take rate apparently remains very low.

The next task is growing Jio Platforms: Movies, music, JioMart, and more coming.

 

Mumbai, 30th April 2021

JIO EXITS FY21 WITH CUSTOMER BASE OF 426 MILLION;

Q4FY21 GROSS ADDS AT OVER 31 MILLION

JPL  FY21 EBITDA OF ₹ 32,359 CRORE DRIVEN BY STRONG 45% YOY INCREASE IN RJIL EBITDA DURING FY21 DESPITE COVID RELATED CHALLENGES

Q4FY21 JPL EBITDA AT ₹ 8,573 CRORE WITH EBITDA MARGIN OF 46.9%, AN INCREASE OF 600 BASIS POINTS YOY

ARPU STANDS AT ₹ 138 AS INDUSTRY TRANSITIONS TO BILL AND KEEP REGIME EFFECTIVE 1 ST JANUARY 2021

VARIOUS ON THE GROUND INITIATIVES BEING UNDERTAKEN TO ADDRESS COVID RELATED CHALLENGES HIGHLIGHTS OF QUARTER’S (Q4 – FY 2020-21) PERFORMANCE OF JPL

➢ Consolidated revenue from operations of ₹ 18,278 crore

➢ Consolidated Net Profit of ₹ 3,508 crore, increase of 47.5% YoY

➢ Total Customer base as on 31 st March 2021 of 426.2 million

➢ ARPU during the quarter of ₹ 138.2 per subscriber per month

➢ Total data traffic during the quarter of 1,668 crore GB (26.7% YoY growth)

➢ Total voice traffic during the quarter of 103,290 crore minutes (17.9% YoY growth)

Commenting on the results, Shri Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited said: “Jio has a highly engaged 426 million customer base and remains committed to enhancing digital experiences not only for our existing customers but, for all individuals, households, and enterprises across the country. With its path defining partnerships over the last couple of years, Jio will continue to strive towards making India a premier digital society. Covid has brought forth new challenges for the country. Jio’s on-the-ground teams are working tirelessly to address all issues for ensuring seamless customer service. Jio’s focus remains on making lives easy for all citizens through our digital solutions while ensuring safety of our employees and partners.” 

Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) – To Drive Technology Revolution in India Connectivity

▪ Strong customer gross addition at 31.2 million (net addition of 15.4 million) in the quarter with improved traction across mobility and homes. Gross subscriber addition of 99.3 million during FY21 despite Covid related challenges.

▪ Churn reduced during the quarter to 1.26% on the back of focused sales initiatives and reducing Covid impact in parts of the country during the quarter.

▪ ARPU for Q4FY21 was ₹ 138.2, with sequential decline driven by transition from Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) to Bill & Keep regime effective 1 st January 2021, and lower number of days during the quarter.

▪ During 4Q FY21, average data consumption per user per month was strong at 13.3 GB and average voice consumption was at 823 minutes per user per month.

▪ Based on TRAI Financial Data for the quarter ended December 2020, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) had Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) market share of ~45% with market leadership in 19 out of 22 circles.

▪ In the recently concluded spectrum auctions, Jio acquired spectrum in 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands. The total outlay for this spectrum is ₹ 57,123 crore with an upfront payment of ₹ 19,939 crore.

▪ Subsequently, Jio signed definitive agreement with Bharti Airtel Limited, for trading of right-to-use spectrum in the 800MHz band in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Mumbai circles. The aggregate value for right-to use of paired 7.5MHz spectrum is ₹ 1,497 crore, inclusive of present value of associated deferred payment liability of ₹ 459 crore.

▪ Post the spectrum auction and the trading agreement with Bharti Airtel Limited, Jio has expanded its spectrum footprint by 56% to 1,732 MHz, with 2X10MHz of spectrum in 800MHz band in 18 circles, and 2X10MHz in 1800MHz band and 40MHz in 2300MHz band across all the circles.

▪ To accelerate the 2G- Mukt Bharat movement, the JioPhone 2021 offer was launched with unlimited voice and data services for up to two years.

▪ FTTH services continued to witness improving uptake on the back of affordable and bundled offerings and widespread network across the country. Digital Platforms

▪ JioBusiness has introduced an integrated offering for Micro Small and Medium Businesses (MSMB) combining enterprise-grade fiber connectivity and digital solutions for less than one-tenth of the current cost starting below ₹ 1,000 per month.

▪ Jio is conducting field trials for fine-tuning network performance and configurations for its 5G network. Work is also ongoing on standardising 5G device configurations by collaborating with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

▪ JioMart has been scaled up to become a truly horizontal platform with presence across Grocery, Fashion & Lifestyle, Digital and Pharma, and the ability to provide a customized catalogue for users. In addition, JioMart has all the technology functionalities that should enable it to become a diverse third-party platform.

▪ Jio’s IoT solutions are live across smart utilities, connected automobiles, security and asset tracking with significant customer traction. 

Financial performance of JPL ▪ Despite Covid related challenges, JPL closed its first full year of operations with revenue and EBITDA of ₹ 73,503 crore and ₹ 32,359 crore respectively. This has been driven by strong 45% YoY EBITDA growth at RJIL on the back of continued subscriber traction and higher ARPU.

▪ Quarterly JPL operating revenue was ₹ 18,278 crore, sequential decline led by transition to Bill and Keep regime and lower number of days during the quarter. Like-for-like growth in operating revenue was ~30% YoY in Q4FY21. Also, quarterly EBITDA margin increased 600bps YoY to 46.9% with EBITDA at ₹ 8,573 crore.

▪ Net profit in Q4FY21 for JPL increased 47.5% YoY to ₹ 3,508 crore (FY21 net profit at ₹ 12,537 crore). Covid

▪ During these tough times of Covid-19, Jio’s world-class broadband connectivity solutions across wireless and wireline continue to enable Work From Home, Learn From Home & Health At Home for all Indians.

▪ Multiple initiatives have been undertaken with a customer focussed approach to ensure minimum disruption in customer service and business.

▪ Jio has ensured zero impact on network despite minimum staff and Covid related restrictions due to high degree of automation and network virtualisation.

▪ Digital initiatives like Jio Associate Program undertaken over the past year continue to enhance customer outreach and ensure continuity of recharges/ services. ▪ All this has been achieved with teams practicing and following all Covid related safety measures and protocols.