In the June quarter, when nationwide lockdowns were at their strictest, Jio's data traffic grew to 14,200 petabytes, up 10.6% from the March quarter. This is in line with Airtel's data increase, which grew by 8.6%. The company posted a net profit of Rs 2,520 crore, up 183% YoY and only 8.1% QoQ, on account of the pandemic. Revenue stood at Rs 19,513 crore, a 4.7% QoQ increase and a 33.7% YoY increase. Unlike Airtel and Vodafone Idea, Jio's AGR dues are paid off, and this gives it a significant advantage — Airtel's accounting for its AGR provision led it to have a Rs 15,933 crore net loss. At an industry event today, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said that 2G services, which Jio does not provide, should no longer be in use. "India still has 300 million mobile subscribers trapped in the 2G era. Their feature phones keep them excluded even from the basic uses of internet at a time where both India and the rest of the world are standing at the doorsteps of 5G telephony. I think necessary policy steps should be taken with utmost urgency to make 2G a part of history," he said. Operational highlights Jio's Average Revenue Per User stood at Rs 140.3, up 8.4% from Rs 130.6 in the previous quarter. This is a 15.2% YoY increase. Airtel's ARPU is higher, at Rs 157, but its ARPU grew at a slower rate QoQ, at less than 2%. Both telcos' ARPU grew on account…
