Mumbai: At Reliance Industries Ltd’s 48th annual general meeting, Mukesh Ambani painted a bold picture of the company’s future—one where cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence, and global partnerships drive India’s next wave of growth. The biggest headline from the meeting? Reliance Jio, the telecom giant with over half a billion subscribers, will go public by the first half of 2026.
For a company that rewrote India’s mobile story in 2016 with affordable data and free voice calls, this is a natural next step. “We are aiming to list Jio by the first half of 2026, subject to approvals,” Ambani said, calling the move a way to unlock value for Reliance’s 4.4 million shareholders. The IPO would also be a defining moment for Jio, which has become the backbone of India’s digital economy, fuelling everything from fintech to entertainment.
But Ambani’s speech wasn’t just about an IPO. It was about a company redefining itself. Jio has already pulled off the world’s fastest 5G rollout. Now, Reliance wants to connect every Indian home to broadband, digitise small businesses, and make artificial intelligence as accessible as smartphones. “AI Everywhere for Everyone” is the new mantra.
To make that happen, Ambani announced Reliance Intelligence, a new AI-focused subsidiary that will build massive, clean-energy-powered data centres in Jamnagar and create affordable AI solutions for industries like education, healthcare, and agriculture. The company also revealed a high-profile AI joint venture with Meta, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg promising “AI and, eventually, superintelligence for every corner of the country.” Google’s Sundar Pichai added that Reliance will host a dedicated Jamnagar Cloud region powered by renewable energy, helping India’s businesses adopt AI at scale.
Reliance’s influence in entertainment is also soaring. Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, said JioHotstar has now become the world’s second-largest streaming platform with 300 million paying subscribers—an achievement powered entirely by Indian viewers. The company also dominates TV with a 34% market share, and its media arm, JioStar, is expanding globally. Disney CEO Bob Iger called India “one of Disney’s most important markets” while applauding JioStar’s rapid growth.
Meanwhile, Reliance Retail continues to quietly reshape shopping. Led by Isha Ambani, it saw a 15% jump in its customer base, reaching 349 million registered users, and processed 1.4 billion transactions in FY25. The company is now eyeing a future where one-fifth of its revenue comes from online channels in the next three years.
For decades, Reliance was seen as an oil-and-chemicals giant. The AGM made one thing clear: it’s now positioning itself as a global tech and consumer powerhouse. From data to AI, shopping to streaming, Reliance is betting on a future where India is not just catching up but leading the digital revolution.
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