Reliance Jio and the Transformation of the Indian Telecom Industry: An Analytical Approach to Predatory Pricing Charges

Literature concerning the disruptive entry of Reliance Jio in India's telecommunications sector often does not measure the effect against the standard for predatory pricing, namely below-cost pricing along with an opportunity of recoupment within a legal-economic framework. This study measures whether Jio's behavior can be considered either disruptive competition or predatory pricing in an evolving industry structure by conducting a doctrinal and qualitative analysis of Competition Commission of India (CCI) orders, peer-reviewed papers and legal literature, and industry statistics from 2016-2025 through the use of the Areeda-Turner cost test and recoupment under competition law standards. The quantitative variables of subscriber base, market share, revenue of the sector, and exits of operators are tested together with the liberalization of interconnection charges, change in spectrum policy, and reductions in costs of handsets. While there is ample evidence of disruption and exit of competitors, there is not enough evidence of below-cost pricing and its success of recoupment, which is consistent with CCI's failure to establish both dominance and predatory pricing by Jio. The contribution of this research paper lies in the reframing of the Jio story from the perspective of the effectiveness of India’s dominance-based strategy in predatory pricing as compared to its treatment as a classic example of predatory pricing. The negative impact of predatory pricing on competitors is evaluated in terms of consumer welfare and digital inclusion.