Reliance Jio looks beyond mobile operations to monetise digital platforms

With subscriber additions slowing, the price-competitive player is looking beyond its mobile operations to monetising its digital platforms. But that's where the competition is acute

The great Reliance Jio juggernaut seems to be losing steam. For a company that has publicly targeted a 500 million mobile subscriber base, its results last week disappointed analysts and the market, with the share nosediving since. Net mobile subscriber additions (new subscribers minus those who left the network) in the third quarter of FY 21 grew a mere 5.2 million, slowing considerably from 6.9 million in Q2, when rival Bharti Airtel took the top slot for the first time since Jio’s launch. And it is far behind its dream run in the previous four quarters (see chart).

RIL’s management