Reliance Jio Q4 results: Net profit jumps to ₹3,508 crore; ARPU falls to ₹138

Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, reported a consolidated net profit of ₹3508 crore, a 0.54% quarter-on-quarter increase, in the March quarter. The telecom operator posted a net profit of ₹3489 crore during the December quarter.

During Q4FY21, the average revenue per user (ARPU) fell to ₹138 per subscriber per month from ₹151 in the December quarter. Reliance Jio's total customer base as on 31 March 2021 stood at 426.2 million adding 15.4 million customer during the January-March quarter.

Jio's consolidated EBITDA grew by 1.1% Q-o-Q to ₹8573 crore and EBITDA margin of 46.9% up from 43.6% QoQ.

“Arpu should see about 8% quarter-on-quarter moderation as IUC fell to zero from January 2021 (from six paise per minute) for all operators, impacting Jio’s Arpu by ₹12-14, and because of lower number of days during the quarter. This, however, will be partly offset by an uptick due to customer upgrades to high-value recharges,” Morgan Stanley said in a report.

In the two-day 4G spectrum auction concluded on 2 March, Reliance Jio emerged as the top bidder, acquiring airwaves worth ₹57,122.65. Bharti Airtel purchased spectrum worth ₹18,698.75 crore, while Vodafone Idea Ltd’s participation was limited. It placed bids worth ₹1,993.40, largely for spectrum renewal.

Recently, Airtel sold airwaves in the 800MHz band to Reliance Jio for ₹1,037.6 crore in the first such deal between the two telcos. Jio will also absorb future liabilities of ₹459 crore relating to the spectrum. The deal will benefit both.