- From zero subscribers in August 2016, Jio now leads Odisha with over 1.85 crore mobile subscribers and over 8 lakh home broadband subscribers in 10 years
Bhubaneswar: Along with the rest of the country, Reliance Jio commercially launched its services in Odisha on September 5, 2016. In the last ten years, Jio has emerged as the market leader in Odisha, in terms of both subscriber base and revenue, surpassing all other telecom operators.
As per TRAI data, Jio acquired 5.8 lakh subscribers in Odisha in the first month of its launch and has now become the market leader in the state with over 1.85 crore mobile subscribers as of July 2026. Of the total 3.9 crores mobile subscribers in the state, Jio is leading with a 47.4 percent subscriber market share and around 52 percent share of gross revenue.
The data revolution ushered by Jio propelled mobile data usage in Odisha grow manifold over the last ten years. As per TRAI data, the number of internet users in Odisha was around 9 million in September 2016, which has increased to over 30 million by the end of March 2026. This has had a special impact in the rural areas of the state. As per the data, the number of internet users in rural Odisha has increased from around 38 lakhs in September 2016 to over 1.87 crores by the end of March 2026. Jio’s largest 4G and 5G network footprint and continuous efforts to connect remote areas with high-speed digital network played an important role in this digital revolution. As a result of this, the number of internet users per 100 people in the state has increased almost threefold from 21.21 in September 2016 to 64.79 by the end of March 2026, according to TRAI data. The most significant growth here has also been in rural areas, where the number of internet users per 100 people has increased more than fourfold from 11.06 in September 2016 to 49.30 by the end of March 2026.
The most remarkable change has been observed in the home broadband sector. After the launch of JioFiber in September 2019 and the pathbreaking JioAirFiber service in September 2023, high-speed home broadband has become available in every nook and corner of Odisha. This has proven to be a boon for working professionals, small and large businesses, entrepreneurs, educational institutions and students. At the end of July 2026, Jio had more than 8 lakhs home broadband users in Odisha, enjoying state-of-the-art home entertainment, popular OTT apps, WiFi, high-speed internet and much more. Jio continues to dominate with over 60 percent subscriber market share in the home broadband market and over 82 percent subscriber market share in the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) or AirFiber, in the state.
Some of the key milestones for Jio in Odisha over the last ten years include the launch of commercial 4G mobile services in September 2016, launch of affordable 4G phone JioPhone in August 2017, launch of Jio-Fi WiFi device in March 2018, becoming the No. 1 digital service provider in Odisha in terms of both subscriber base and revenue in 2018-19, launch of JioFiber in September 2019, launch of JioPhone Next affordable 4G smartphone in November 2021, demonstration of Odisha’s first live 5G service in Pahadpur village of Mayurbhanj district in October 2022, official launch of 5G services in Odisha in January 2023, launch of affordable 4G feature phone JioBharat in July 2023 and launch of JioAirFiber in September 2023.
Among the major benefits for customers of ten years of Jio services include cheap data and free voice calls on all networks, which was a first for the customers. Jio’s free outgoing calls put pressure on other operators, and they also changed their strategies and reduced tariffs.
With highest data usage in India, data prices have also come down from their peak to their lowest in the last 10 years. Average monthly mobile data consumption in India was below 0.2 GB per subscriber in 2016. A gigabyte of data used cost around Rs. 228. Fewer than 10 million Indians had access to 4G networks, and average download speeds struggled around 2.5 Mbps.
A decade later, a gigabyte costs roughly Rs. 7.9, a fall of about 97 per cent. Active 4G and 5G subscribers across the country have climbed to around 938 million. On Jio’s network, an average subscriber now consumes 42.3 GB every month. Jio also rolled out its pan India 5G network in just about 15 months and has acquired about 268 million 5G users in 42 months.
With this, Reliance Jio has become the backbone of the Indian digital economy. The government’s efforts to create awareness and Jio’s cheap data have breathed new life into the digital economy. According to the data of the Government of India, in the year of Jio’s launch, i.e. in the financial year 2016-17, transactions worth only Rs 7,000 crore were made through UPI, but in the financial year 2025-26, this increased by more than 4,000 times to Rs 314 lakh crores. Similarly, the number of OTT viewers has increased from just about 3 crores to 60 crores.
The reason for this is very clear. With the availability of affordable data, the number of internet users in the country has increased from about 36 crores in September 2016 to over 109 crores by the end of March 2026.
JioPhone and the subsequent Jio Bharat Phone have connected crores of consumers to the digital world as affordable 4G feature smartphones. About 50 crore people in the country were using the old and expensive (for calling) 2G technology only because they did not have the money to buy an expensive phone to run on 4G technology or they wanted to use a button phone. Jio has solved both these problems by introducing 4G phones at a very low price.
