New Delhi — Reliance has ruled out any Jio tariff hike in the near term, despite an improvement in user spending and data consumption. The company’s average revenue per user (ARPU) rose to ₹211.4 in the second quarter of the financial year 2025–26, up from ₹208.8 in the previous quarter, supported by higher data usage and changes in plan preferences.
Jio’s ARPU, a key measure of revenue earned from each subscriber, has improved steadily since the tariff revision implemented in 2024. The gains have been attributed to users shifting to shorter-duration plans and consuming more mobile data, which helped boost the company’s earnings per customer.
“We are nudging consumers to consume more and happily pay more, but no immediate plans for the tariff (hike),” said Anshuman Thakur, Head of Strategy, Reliance Jio, during the company’s Q2 FY26 earnings call with analysts.
The statement follows recent changes by private telecom operators, including Jio and Bharti Airtel, which have withdrawn 1GB daily data plans. The move is seen as an attempt to encourage users to adopt higher-value plans, leading to better average revenue performance.
Jio has also trimmed its long-term annual plan offerings, which earlier affected its ARPU. The focus is now on short- and medium-term validity plans, prompting users to recharge more frequently and generating steadier revenue flows.
Reliance Jio tariff hike deferred as focus shifts to user growth
According to a report by JP Morgan, if Jio refrains from increasing tariffs in the coming months, its year-on-year ARPU growth for the March 2026 quarter could be around 4 per cent, reaching roughly ₹214 per subscriber.
The report also noted that “investors continue to expect Jio to raise telecom tariffs ahead of the proposed IPO of Reliance Jio (likely by June 2026).”
Telecom analysts see Jio’s decision to hold prices as a strategy to retain its expanding customer base while benefiting from growing data consumption. The company’s total mobile subscriber count reached 506.4 million at the end of Q2 FY26, after adding 8.3 million users during the quarter.
The company’s 5G subscriber base rose sharply from 213 million in the previous quarter to 234 million, meaning half of its total wireless users now use fifth-generation services. The growth highlights India’s rapid shift to 5G-enabled smartphones and faster mobile connectivity.
Analysts said that while a Jio tariff hike could improve short-term profitability, the company appears focused on sustaining long-term growth through higher usage per customer and subscriber retention.
This aligns with Reliance Jio’s broader objective of consolidating its leadership in India’s telecom and digital services market ahead of a possible public listing.
Jio’s ARPU performance remains a key metric for investors, as it reflects the company’s ability to convert growing data usage into consistent revenue. A higher ARPU generally indicates that users are opting for costlier plans or consuming more services.
With a market share of over 38 per cent, Jio continues to lead the telecom sector, ahead of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, both in subscriber base and 5G adoption.
The company is also investing in emerging technologies, including its artificial intelligence-based platform, JioAICloud, aimed at enterprise and cloud computing solutions.
Although the industry expects another round of tariff revisions across operators in the medium term, Jio’s current stance indicates that consumers will not face an immediate rise in mobile plan prices.
For now, the operator is banking on growing data consumption and deeper 5G penetration to sustain revenue momentum.
