Will Reljio shake Net Neutrality?
watcher of RIL knows to expect something else. For one, RIL will offer its own Lyf brand handsets. To this, we may add that RIL is already a player in the retail industry with its Reliancefresh and Reliance Digital brands.
About 15 years ago, the Ambanis had invested in Fabmart (which later became Fabmall and folded into Indiaplaza.com). It was a doddering e-tailer ahead of its times, and signalled Ambani’s interest in e-commerce. Ambani, in his individual capacity, is also an investor in Tally Solutions, which supplies accounting software to thousands of small businesses in India. Ambani is also a controlling investor in media conglomeration Network 18.
So, I would expect a grand collaboration, a Japanese-style “keiretsu” (a group of enterprises with interconnected relationships and/or shareholdings) in which retail, media and enterprise software work in tandem with a new-fangled 4G service. The complexity of the network needs to be watched.
A tantalising question: will this grouping violate the principles of Net Neutrality which is meant to separate content, commerce and carriage? Regulation-watchers already tracking Facebook’s Free Basics programme, may see a fresh episode in the drama.
Meanwhile, younger broth er Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications, separated in a division of family assets, is trying to tie the knot with Aircel (a Maxis brand) and MTS (Sistema Shyam) in a year that is bound to see more of telecom mergers, acquisitions and partnerships.
Will the Ambani brothers eventually edge closer, as some speculate they might? From al indications, the year 2016 is going to be the year of coming of age for India’s telecom companies.