Reliance Jio’s next big bet is beyond data

IPO-bound Reliance Jio is looking to go beyond data connectivity by partnering with technology companies to create new markets, rather than simply distribute their products, Akash Ambani said on Thursday, citing the telecom operator’s collaboration with Google on its artificial intelligence service Gemini.“This is not a simple distribution deal,” Ambani said at Jio’s IPO press conference, explaining how the partnership had helped create a market for Google’s flagship AI product in India.Google already has a significant presence in India, with more than a billion users across each of its platforms, and Gemini as its flagship product. Yet the company partnered with Jio, Ambani said, drawing a parallel with how the telecom operator had approached the data market.“What we were able to do, like we did with the data market, was co-create a new market,” he added.The partnership has since resulted in Gemini adding 13 million new subscribers to its paid service, Ambani said, pointing to the scale of the opportunity that Jio sees in working with technology companies beyond conventional connectivity.