Reliance Jio Hikes Prepaid & Postpaid Tariffs, Launches Two New Apps

Telecom operator Reliance Jio will hike the tariffs for its prepaid and postpaid plans by 12% to 25% from July 3. 

While the cost of its lowest plan of INR 155 has been increased by 21% to INR 189, the INR 239 recharge will now be available at INR 299. 

Besides, the company also announced the launch of its new “unlimited” plans and increased the tariffs of its data packs. However, the price hike will not be applicable to JioBharat and JioPhone users. 

In a statement, Jio said that the “introduction of new plans” will enable it to drive sustainable growth and invest more in 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).

Commenting on the price hike, Reliance Jio Infocomm chairman Akash Ambani said, “The introduction of new plans is a step in the direction of furthering industry innovation and driving sustainable growth through investments in 5G and AI technology. Ubiquitous, high-quality, affordable internet is the backbone of Digital India and Jio takes pride in contributing to this. Jio will always put our country and customer first and will continue to invest for India.”

Meanwhile, the company has limited free 5G usage to high-end data packs. Jio said that unlimited 5G data will now only be available on packs that offer at least 2GB data per day. 

The price hike is expected to further shore up the telecom operator’s topline and improve its average revenue per user (ARPU). Additionally, the higher revenue inflow could also help the company bolster its play as its expenses continue to rise on account of 5G rollout and deployment of technologies such as AI. 

Meanwhile, Jio also announced the launch of two new apps – JioSafe and JioTranslate.

JioSafe is a “quantum-secure communication” app that will offer services such as calling, messaging and file transfers, and will be available for INR 199 a month. On the other hand, JioTranslate is an AI-powered app that will allow users to translate voice call, voice message, text and image. This offering will be priced at INR 99 per month.

However, both the apps will be accessible for free for Jio users for a year, the company said. 

Giving an update on its 5G rollout, Jio claimed that the telco accounted for 85% of the total 5G cells operationalised in India.

The development comes at a time when Jio has been witnessing net subscriber additions to its total user base for more than a year now. As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data, Jio was the sole telecom operator in the country which saw widening of its subscriber base in April 2024. 

At the end of April 2024, Jio’s total active user base stood at 43.34 Cr and it accounted for a 40.48% market share of the country’s total wireless market. 

Jio’s parent Jio Platforms reported a 12% YoY increase in consolidated net profit to INR 5,583 Cr in Q4 FY24, while operating revenue jumped 13.4% YoY to INR 28,871 Cr during the quarter under review.