INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
helped by strong user additions despite average revenue per user (ARPU) dropping due mainly to the sharp cut in its base offer to JioPhone
users.
For the fiscal fourth quarter, the Mukesh Ambani-owned company, which has upended the market since its entry in September 2016 first
with free voice and data and now much cheaper mobile Internet services, has posted a net profit of Rs 510 crore compared with Rs 504 crore
in the October-December period
Revenue rose 3.6% sequentially to Rs 7,128 crore
when it posted a loss of Rs 271 crore
to widen its fourth-quarter net loss when it reports on April 28
For the full year, Jio posted a net profit of Rs 723 crore on revenue of Rs 20,154 crore.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortization (ebitda) amounted to Rs 6,734 crore while the ebitda margin was 33.4%
652-crore net loss for its India business, before exceptional items, hurt by cuts in international termination rates interconnection usage
charges, besides the ongoing price war
profit in the third quarter by keeping costs low thanks to the unit-of-production method of accounting.
They had also pointed out that Jio
It was around Rs 50 reduction in tariff plans that has been impact on ARPU, but we have been more than able to make up on it through the
its network.
The quarterly ebitda margin though contracted to 37.8% compared with 38.2% in the preceding one, on higher costs and muted
Airtel, in comparison, had a margin of 28.4% for its India mobile services business.
Network operating expenses were around Rs 1,812 crore,
compared with nearly Rs 1,737 crore in the third quarter, while depreciation and amortisation costs rose to Rs 1,199 crore from Rs 1,193
Total expenses rose to Rs 6,345 crore from Rs 6,109 crore.
SUBSCRIBER ADDITIONJio, which added a net 26.5 million subscribers to end March
payer of interconnection usage charges (IUC), which were reduced by the telecom regulator by 57% from October 1
In the latest quarter, Jio paid nearly Rs 1,065.9 crore as IUC, compared with Rs 1,082 crore in the preceding one
The company had paid nearly Rs 2,140 crore in the July-September quarter.
Total wireless data traffic in the quarter was 5.06 billion GB, up
14% on quarter and much higher than its more established rivals such as Bharti Airtel, which recorded around 1.5 billion GB.
Average data
consumption per user per month was 9.7 GB while average voice traffic was 716 minutes per user per month.
Airtel, in comparison, recorded
670 minutes per user, while data usage per subscriber was 6.6 GB
1.02 lakh crore.
The company recorded capex of about Rs 14,000 crore in the March quarter, compared with Rs 7,000 crore in the third
Communications and its affiliates in an all-cash deal for Rs 18,000 crore in December, but the deal closure, expected by March end, has been
delayed due to cases against the Anil Ambani-owned telco
Most of the other conditions precedence for closing the transactions have been made, but till such time that there is clarity on legal
