Rs 2500 JioPhone @ just Rs 1500! How RIL is planning to recover losses

Jio has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year

Reliance Industries' telecom upstart Jio is footing at least 40 percent of the cost of its basic 4G phone, two sources familiar with the matter said, as it bets on recovering the investment by luring in millions of new customers.

The Jio Phone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of 1,500 rupees ($23.05), will cost at least 2,500 rupees ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters.

That means Jio will likely carry more than $150 million in costs for every 10 million JioPhones it sells.

And the company aims to build a subscriber base of between 250 million and 300 million users in the next two years, said one of the sources.

Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.

Some Reliance investors may flinch at the cost of subsidies, but the scale of the outlay is a clear signal of the level of Jio's ambition, as it targets an audience of some 500 million who still cannot afford smartphones in India.

Also Read : Nokia 8 with dual rear camera launched in India at Rs 36,999

Jio's advanced voice over LTE (VoLTE) network only works with 4G enabled devices, inaccessible to many even at subsidised rates. The significantly cheaper JioPhone, however, will open the Internet to a less affluent segment of Indians for the very first time.

"The 3,000-rupee smartphone was not cutting it," the second source said. "Reliance is making a bold attempt with this phone and data will be the key driver for them."

Analysts estimate a majority of Indian feature phone users have an average revenue per user (ARPU) of rupees 50 or lower. JioPhone's 153 rupees monthly plan for so-called pre-paid users aims to drive up this ARPU, the first source said.

Jio, backed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year, by offering free voice and cut-price data for months.(more)

UDAN scheme: TruJet to add 10 destinations with 7 aircraft

The airline started operations in July 2015, currently catering to 7 destinations with 16 flights

Hyderabad-based TruJet, one of the private airlines, which has bagged travel routes under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme is planning to add 10 destinations with seven aircraft.

The airline started operations in July 2015 and is currently catering to seven destinations with 16 flights.

Antara Dey, spokesperson of the airline said that over the next two years, the airline is planning to add 10 destinations with seven aircraft. Of this, five will be under UDAN scheme, including Mysore, Bidar, Hosur, Salem and Vidya Nagar.

Alliance Air, the regional arm of Air India, SpiceJet and TruJet have won rights to operate flights under the government's regional air connectivity scheme, which seeks to give people from Tier-II and Tier-III cities a chance to fly at a ticket price of Rs 2,500.

Company News : Airlines operating under the UDAN scheme have to ensure that the prices of at least 50 per cent of the seats on their flights are available at a price of Rs 2,500 each for an hour of flying.

The Centre and state will provide viability gap funding for the airlines operating on the UDAN routes to ensure profitability of these flights.

Trujet is planning to deploy ATR72-500/600 with a 72-seat capacity.

Dey, mentioned earlier, said that the airline is looking at 77 per cent PLF (passenger load factor) and expects to make money in a year.

She added that the airline is funded directly by promoters and do not have any plans immediately to look at external funding. (more)

At Reliance AGM, Jio financials, 4G feature phone would be the focus

Street to also watch for details on home-to-fibre, fuel and organised retail segments

In September last year, Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani shared the roll-out plan for Reliance Jio’s telecom services at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM). This Friday, shareholders and investors will look for details on revenue generation from these services.

RIL is slated to announce its earnings for the April-June quarter (Q1) on Thursday and hold its AGM the day after. Analysts expect the focus, both in terms of the June quarter numbers and the AGM, would be on the company’s telecom business.

The details are important and will reflect on investor sentiment, which is on the rise. On Friday, the RIL stock scaled to a nine-year high.

Company News : While Jio started offering its services in September last year, these services have largely been provided free till March and continue to be offered at discounted prices. Among other details, analysts and shareholders would look for data on revenue generation and the profitability timeline for this business. “Telecom would be the topmost thing to watch, as details on other business like the oil and gas segment have been already spelled out,” said an analyst with a domestic brokerage firm.

Last week, the company extended its promo offers for Jio services, adding to scepticism on any meaningful revenue addition in the current financial year. “We see downside risk to our Jio financial year 2017-18 revenue estimate of $2.7 billion, due to extension of the promotional offers. We are unsure if our FY18 revenue estimate for Jio holds any weight, given that Jio has been capitalising its revenue/expenses thus far,” a Morgan Stanley report dated July 11, said.

In addition to financial details, analysts and investors will look out for official comments on plans for low-cost 4G phones. “While every AGM has the usual expectations on bonus issue (the previous bonus issue was in FY 2009-10), expectations this time are high on another large announcement in telecom, especially 4G feature phones,” analysts with JPMorgan wrote in a report dated July 12. Read more