Jio reached 148 million 5G subscribers as of the end of September
Jio Platforms, the parent company of Indian operator Reliance Jio Infocomm, has reported revenue of $4.43 billion in the second quarter of its fiscal year 2025, up 17.7% year-on-year, the company said in its earnings statement. The company also reported an EBITDA of $1.9 billion in the period, up 17.8% and net profits of $780 million, surging 23.4% year-on-year.
Jio has reached 148 million subscribers on 5G in less than two years of the launch and continues to be the largest 5G operator outside China, the company said. In the fixed wireless access (FWA) segment, Jio ended September with 2.8 million JioAirFiber connections.
Jio’s subscriber base grew by 4.2% year-over-year, reaching 478.8 million at the end of September 2024.
“Jio has transformed India from 5G-dark to 5G-bright through unmatched spectrum holdings, 5G Standalone Architecture, and advanced technologies like Carrier Aggregation and network slicing,” the telco said.
Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, said Jio, since its inception has focused on deep tech innovation to create customer and shareholder value. “The ongoing transformation created by Jio True5G and JioAirFiber in India’s digital landscape is a testament to this approach. AI is creating the next runway for this transformation, and Jio is committed to developing the world’s best AI ecosystem in India, for all Indians. Jio is committed to delivering robust shareholder returns and has demonstrated a strong uplift in financial performance in the current quarter,” he added.
Reliance Jio Infocomm is taking a more measured approach to its 5G network expansion due to low capacity utilization and the delayed monetization of the technology, local newspaper The Economic Times recently reported. As a result, Jio is shifting its focus towards upgrading its existing 4G users to the more expensive 5G services, according to the report.
The current utilization of Jio’s 5G network stands at around 15%, according to sources familiar with Jio’s equipment suppliers. However, sources at Reliance Jio Infocomm claimed that actual 5G usage is more than double that amount. Jio’s 5G infrastructure is supported by equipment from Nordic vendors Nokia and Ericsson.
A Jio spokesperson confirmed that the company’s future investments in the 5G field will be determined by demand. The spokesperson also noted that Jio’s 5G network already covers over 90% of India’s population.
Reliance Jio Infocomm and Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus have recently announced the successful validation of their 5G network slicing efforts at a newly established 5G innovation lab in India. The partners noted that this development represents a significant step toward enhancing the 5G experience for smartphone users across the Asian country.
Network slicing enables the division of a single physical network into multiple virtual ones, each designed to meet specific requirements. In a recent test, OnePlus and Reliance Jio infocomm showcased the capabilities of this technology on the OnePlus Nord 4 smartphone. By connecting the core network with the device’s chip module, the partners created independent virtual networks that offer different levels of speed, bandwidth, security and reliability. This ensures that various applications can access dedicated slices of the network, they added.
Reliance Jio Infocomm said it aims to commercially launch 5G network slicing technology in India in the coming months. The two companies said they remain committed to fostering innovation in this field and collaborating with global stakeholders to drive the widespread adoption of 5G network slicing in India.
