Mumbai, October 23 (Udaipur Kiran): Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, has confirmed that it has no immediate plans to increase tariffs, even as the company continues to encourage users to consume more data and spend more on their mobile plans.
During the company’s Q2 FY26 earnings call, Anshuman Thakur, Jio’s Head of Strategy, said, “We are nudging consumers to consume more and happily pay more, but there are no immediate plans for a tariff hike.”
Recently, both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel removed their 1GB daily data plans from their offerings — a move seen as a strategy to push users toward higher-value recharges to keep their SIMs active.
ARPU Growth Driven by Usage
Reliance Jio’s Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) showed healthy momentum following the 2024 tariff revision. The company reported an ARPU of ₹211.4 in Q2 FY26, up from ₹208.8 in the previous quarter.
Jio has also trimmed its annual plan offerings, which had been impacting ARPU levels. Most of its customers now prefer short-term and medium-term plans, which are helping the telco sustain higher per-user revenues.
According to a JP Morgan report, if Jio does not increase tariffs in the next few months, its year-on-year ARPU growth for the March 2026 quarter could still reach 4%, or around ₹214 per subscriber.
IPO Expectations and Subscriber Growth
Investors, however, continue to expect a tariff hike before Jio’s proposed IPO, which is likely to take place by June 2026.
Jio remains India’s largest telecom operator, with its subscriber base surpassing 500 million. In Q2 FY26, the company added 8.3 million new mobile users, taking the total base to 506.4 million.
Jio’s 5G subscriber base has also seen robust growth — rising from 213 million in the previous quarter to 234 million in Q2 FY26. 5G users now account for 50% of Jio’s total wireless base, marking a major milestone for the company’s next-generation network expansion.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
