A failed attempt to submit a college assignment online became the starting point for a conversation that eventually led to the creation of Jio, Isha Ambani said, recalling how the telecom and digital platform business of Reliance Industries took shape.
Speaking at a briefing on Jio Platforms’ upcoming initial public offering (IPO), Isha said the idea emerged around 2009-2010, when she and her brother Akash Ambani were studying in the US and had returned to Mumbai for a break.
“I tried to submit an assignment, but unfortunately, the internet did not work and I couldn’t submit it,” she said.
The experience prompted a broader discussion about India’s digital infrastructure and why the country lacked the kind of connectivity they had experienced in the West.
“What followed were the conversation about why should India be left behind?” Isha said.
She said Akash believed the solution lay in building a digital technology platform company that could address the connectivity gap and help India participate more fully in the digital economy.
Jio launched in 2016, several years after those early conversations. A decade later, the business has become a major part of Reliance Industries’ digital and telecom operations.
“First, his ideas are backed with a very long term perspective,” Isha said, describing Reliance’s approach to building businesses. “At Reliance, we don’t just bid for today or tomorrow, but we really think about what’s going to come in decades from now.”
Her account places the emphasis on a long-term view of India’s connectivity needs, with the initial experience of unreliable internet serving as a trigger for thinking about a wider digital platform.
The origin story comes as Jio Platforms prepares for its much-anticipated IPO, which is expected to be India’s biggest public offering. The company has set a price band of Rs 1,065-1,119 per share for the Rs 30,213-crore issue.
The IPO is scheduled to open for subscription on October 21 and close on October 23, 2026. The proposed listing has also brought renewed attention to Jio’s business, its place within Reliance Industries and the potential value of its digital and telecom operations.