Reliance Jio Leads Global Data Traffic, Eyes Massive 5G Growth

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, said during the company’s 47th annual general meeting that Reliance Jio now handles 8% of the world’s data traffic, making it the largest data company globally and turning India into the biggest data market.

He also mentioned that the telecom company has completed its 5G network rollout nationwide and aims to add 1 million new home broadband customers monthly.

“In eight years, Jio has grown to become the world’s largest mobile data company. Jio’s commitment to affordability has made its services accessible to all, with current data prices one-fourth of the global average and just 10 per cent of those in developed countries,” Ambani said.

Ambani claimed that each of Jio’s 490 million customers uses over 30 GB of data monthly, driving a 33 per cent growth in the telco’s data traffic over the past year.

Mukesh Ambani said that Jio Platforms (JPL), which oversees Jio and other digital businesses of the Reliance group, is now one of the top 12 companies in India by net profit. Thanks to strong subscriber growth, JPL posted an 11.7% year-on-year increase in net profit, reaching ₹5,698 crore in the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1FY25).

Ambani also announced that Jio has completed its nationwide 5G rollout, suggesting that this project’s spending on materials and capital would start to decrease. Currently, Jio has more than 130 million 5G users and over 85% of its 5G radio cells are operated by Jio.

The RIL chairman emphasised that the company’s key focus is the home broadband business, with a goal of adding 1 million new home broadband customers each month. Jio has about 30 million home customers using its digital broadband and TV services.

Ambani also mentioned that JioAirFiber, the company’s 5G-based home Wi-Fi service launched in October last year, gained 1 million customers in its first six months and added another million in the following 100 days.

At the AGM, Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani introduced a range of new home entertainment products, including Jio TvOS, a new operating system for Jio TV. He also announced Jio TV+, a package combining content from over a dozen OTT apps, hundreds of live TV channels, and a collection of on-demand movies and shows.

The RIL chairman stated that over a million small and medium businesses in India have adopted Jio, and it is the preferred partner for more than 80% of the country’s top 5,000 large enterprises. He added that Jio aims to connect over 20 million small and medium businesses, helping them succeed in the digital era. As more people switch to 5G, Jio’s 4G network is gaining extra capacity, enabling the company to attract over 200 million 2G users in India.

Ambani mentioned that almost all smartphones sold in India for over ₹8,000 are 5G-ready. As 5G phones become more affordable, more people will adopt 5G on Jio’s network, leading to higher data usage.

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