JAMMU: Reliance Jio is set to complete 10 years of commercial operations on September 5, marking a decade in which the telecom company transformed mobile and broadband connectivity across Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, through affordable data, free calling and rapid network expansion.
According to data cited from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Jio had no reported mobile subscriber base in the J&K telecom circle in August 2016. It added around 0.8 lakh users in September 2016, its first month of operations, and expanded to 58.5 lakh mobile subscribers by June 2026.
This represents a net addition of 57.7 lakh subscribers over the decade, translating into a compound annual growth rate of 54.8 per cent.
As of June 2026, Jio accounted for 41.7 per cent of the 140.1 lakh wireless connections in the J&K telecom circle.
The company is expansion driven by net additions rather than contraction in the overall telecom market, which itself grew by 46.3 per cent during the decade.
5.6 Lakh Homes, Businesses Connected to Broadband
Jio said it has also connected more than 5.6 lakh homes and business establishments in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh through JioFiber and JioAirFiber services.
These services have helped expand access to high-speed broadband and digital entertainment in both urban and rural areas.
Jio also claimed leadership in the home broadband segment in the region.
Affordable Data, Free Calling Drove Growth
One of the biggest changes over the past decade has been the sharp fall in mobile data costs.
Before Jio’s launch in 2016, average monthly mobile data consumption in India was below 0.2 GB per subscriber, while one gigabyte of data cost around ₹228.
A decade later, the cost of one GB of data has fallen to around ₹7.9, representing a decline of nearly 97 per cent.
Jio said active 4G and 5G subscribers across India now stand at around 93.8 crore, while an average subscriber on its network consumes 42.3 GB of data per month.
Nationally, Jio had around 53.33 crore customers as of June 2026, including 28.5 crore 5G users.
From Imported Networks to Indigenous 5G Push
Jio said earlier generations of telecom networks in India were largely built on imported proprietary hardware and software, making operators dependent on overseas vendors for equipment and technology upgrades.
The company has instead invested in developing an end-to-end, cloud-native standalone 5G network, designed to suit Indian conditions and support future digital services.
Over the past decade, Jio’s strategy of affordable data and free voice calling has altered the way consumers use the internet, helping shift mobile connectivity from a limited utility to an essential platform for communication, entertainment, education, payments and other digital services.
As Jio completes 10 years, its focus is now expanding beyond connectivity to building digital infrastructure, platforms, devices and technology ecosystems that can support the next phase of India’s digital growth.
