How Airtel and Idea will reap benefits from Reliance Jio's new rate plans
Key challenge to come from
the launch of 4G feature phones by the RIL subsidiary, say analysts
LATEST
NEWS : The share prices
of Bharti
Airtel and Idea Cellular gained on Wednesday, on the expectation of the
new rate plans announced by Reliance Industries’ (RIL) telecom subsidiary,
Reliance Jio (Jio), leading to improvement in their operating metrics. The
price plan announced by Jio on Tuesday is estimated to be 30-57 per cent higher
than earlier promotional offers. Brokerages say this is positive and a clear
indication of rationalisation of pricing.
Analysts at UBS say the first Jio
price increase in almost 12 months supports the brokerage view that sector
revenues are close to bottoming out, with the top three operators and Jio
expected to incrementally take share from smaller entities. Credit Suisse in a note
said the new Jio rates would start the process of normalising these from the
current discounted levels. Also indicating that RIL is looking at monetising
its investment in the telecom subsidiary.
Harsh Jagnani, vice-president of
corporate ratings at ICRA, says the new plans point to improvement in average
revenue per user (ARPU) and that Jio, after grossing 100 million subscribers,
is focussing on pushing this up to improve its profitability. Not surprising,
then, that the RIL stock has been on an uptrend (15 per cent gain in a month),
both on expectation of an improvement in financials of its telecom subsidiary
and on better performance from its core oil and gas vertical, as most of the
capital expenditure plans have come to an end or are in the last leg.
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