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Reliance Industries is leaning into its ambitions to build the “businesses of the future,” its chairman, Mukesh Ambani, said in a recent interview with McKinsey & Company. Ambani, who oversees the sprawling conglomerate with interests ranging from petrochemicals to telecom and retail, credited his father, the late Dhirubhai Ambani, with instilling a culture of prudent risk-taking that continues to shape Reliance’s DNA.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/we-can-build-businesses-of-the-future-just-like-my-father-did-says-mukesh-ambani-71827.htm">'We can build businesses of the future, just like my father did,' says Mukesh Ambani</a>

Last month, Ambani pledged Rs1.51 billion to the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, honoring his mentor, Professor Man Mohan Sharma, in a gesture he described as “Guru Dakshina.” During a visit to the institute to launch Professor Sharma’s biography, “The Divine Scientist,” Ambani urged young engineers to help transform India into a “deep-tech nation” and a leader in advanced manufacturing, leveraging artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Reliance’s technology ambitions have not gone unnoticed. In June, the company was ranked among the world’s top 30 technology firms in the Artificial Intelligence Report 2025, while Reliance Jio, its telecom arm, received the TM Forum Excellence Award.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/we-have-to-be-owners-of-technology-not-users-says-ril-chairman-mukesh-ambani-71815.htm">‘We have to be owners of technology, not users,’ says RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani</a>

Beyond boardrooms and laboratories, the Ambani family’s involvement extends to grassroots initiatives. During the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha, Anant Ambani, an executive director at Reliance, announced a series of efforts aimed at improving the experience for pilgrims, including food distribution and crowd safety measures. The Reliance Foundation deployed over 4,000 volunteers and distributed 3,500 raincoats to pilgrims braving the monsoon rains.

Reliance’s retail ambitions also continue to expand beyond India. Reliance Brands Limited, a subsidiary, opened its ninth Hamleys toy store in the Gulf region, inaugurating a new outlet at The Avenues Mall in Kuwait. Since acquiring the iconic British toy retailer in 2019, Reliance has extended Hamleys’ footprint to 13 countries, including Italy, Qatar and Albania.

In line with its sustainability efforts, Reliance’s textile division, R-Elan, marked World Environment Day on June 5 by launching the EarthTee 7.0, a line of apparel made from recycled PET bottles collected during Lakme Fashion Week 2025.

As Reliance pushes further into technology, sustainability and global retail, the conglomerate is positioning itself to capture emerging opportunities while drawing on the family’s legacy of rapid execution and national ambition.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/ril-chairman-mukesh-ambani-shares-his-lifes-boldest-bet-biggest-risk-we-took-was-71755.htm">RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani shares his life’s boldest bet, ‘Biggest risk we took was…’</a>

RIL's CMD Mukesh Ambani: We have no hesitation in believing we can build businesses of the future

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has imposed a Rs 6.48 lakh penalty on Bharti Airtel after uncovering lapses in subscriber identity verification during a recent audit of customer application forms (CAF) in Assam. 

The fine, result of a March 2025 inspection, was communicated to Bharti Airtel on June 25, highlighting procedural lapses that failed to meet the stringent KYC standards mandated under its licence agreement.

Bharti Airtel, in a regulatory filing, has countered the charges and said that it will take appropriate action for its rectification and reversal. In a statement, the company affirmed its commitment to compliance and “plans to contest the charges, claim reversal, and take corrective action” .

The company received a notice from "DoT, Assam LSA" for "imposing a penalty of Rs 6,48,000 for alleged violation of subscriber verification norms" on June 25, it was shared.

"DoT conducted a sample CAF (consumer application form) audit for quarter ending March, 2025 and has alleged violation of terms and conditions with respect to the subscriber verification norms under the License Agreement," the filing said.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/trai-reiterates-imposing-rs-153-cr-penalty-on-telcos-failing-to-address-unsolicited-calls-52548.htm">TRAI reiterates imposing Rs 153 cr penalty on telcos failing to address unsolicited calls</a>


The company further added that the maximum financial impact on the company is to the extent of the penalty levied.

It is to be noted that Bharti Airtel has faced multiple penalties for violating subscriber verification norms over the years. In early 2024, the company was fined a total of Rs 4 lakh in Bihar and Delhi circles. More recently, in June, Airtel received a Rs 1.01 lakh fine for similar non-compliance detecte during a nationwide audit of CAFs.

DoT imposes Rs 6.48 lakh penalty on Airtel for subscriber verification lapse

Bharti Airtel has announced progress in its mission to protect customers in Delhi-NCR from rising online frauds. As part of the nationwide rollout of its AI-powered fraud detection system, Airtel claims to have safeguarded more than 3.5 million users across the state, within 43 days of launching its advanced fraud detection system.

Automatically enabled for all Airtel mobile and broadband customers, the advanced system scans and filters links across SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, E-mail and other browsers. It leverages real-time threat intelligence to examine over 1 billion URLs daily and blocks access to harmful sites in under 100 milliseconds.

For instance, if a resident receives a suspicious message that reads, “Your package is delayed. Track it here: “http://www.tracky0urparcell.com”. And if the unsuspecting resident, then clicks on the link, Airtel’s system also clicks into gear. It instantly scans the link and if flagged as suspicious, it blocks access. The user is redirected to a warning message that reads, “Blocked! Airtel found this site dangerous!”. 

Nidhi Lauria, CEO – Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh (West), Bharti Airtel, said, “By incorporating our network with an AI-driven fraud detection solution, we guarantee that our customers are protected from all new threats without requiring any action on their part. We consider it crucial to act now to secure the digital environment of tomorrow, and we take pride in being at the forefront of this initiative by providing a safer and more comprehensive network for our customers in Delhi-NCR.”

With Delhi-NCR ranked as one of India’s most digitally advanced states, the threat of online fraud has grown. Fraudsters increasingly target users through phishing links, fake deliveries and spurious banking alerts. Airtel’s solution acts as a statewide digital shield, protecting families, senior citizens, homemakers, students and first-time smartphone users alike.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/whatsapp-rolls-out-ai-generated-message-summaries-with-privacy-first-approach-71919.htm">WhatsApp rolls out AI-generated message summaries with privacy-first approach</a>

The AI-driven platform delivers fraud warnings in the user’s preferred language, including Hindi, making it highly effective for the state’s diverse population. This multilingual support is especially impactful in districts with low digital literacy or where English is not widely used. The solution operates silently in the background, requires no installation and is offered free of cost. 

In the last 43 days of the launch, Airtel claims to have blocked over 1,88,000 malicious links and shielded 106 Million users across the country.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/from-30-to-300-billion-indias-online-commerce-set-to-10x-by-2030-reveals-bessemer-venture-partner-report-71922.htm">From $30 to 300 billion! India’s online commerce set to 10X by 2030, reveals Bessemer Venture Partner report</a>

Airtel turns AI watchdog, thwarts online scams for millions in Delhi-NCR

In a significant step toward strengthening digital security and curbing cyber fraud, the Ministry of Communications has released the draft Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Amendment Rules, 2025, proposing sweeping new compliance requirements for all entities using telecom identifiers, extending beyond licensed telecom operators.

Notified on June 24, the amendments mandate that Telecommunication Identifier User Entities (TIUEs), which include platforms like e-commerce sites, fintech apps, OTT services, ride-hailing companies, and any digital service that uses mobile numbers for user authentication- will now be required to validate these numbers through a centralized Mobile Number Validation (MNV) Platform.

This marks a dramatic expansion of the telecom cybersecurity net, previously limited to license-holders under the Indian Telegraph Act.

The rules propose the creation of the MNV platform by the Central Government or an authorized agency. Both TIUEs and licensed telecom players must integrate with the platform to cross-check user-provided mobile numbers against verified telecom databases. The government or authorized agencies can also initiate such verifications, and a structured fee schedule has been proposed: Rs 3 per request for private TIUEs, with a revenue share between the government and the validating telecom entity.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/dot-mandates-kyc-for-internet-telephony-services-using-mobile-numbers-70710.htm">DoT mandates KYC for internet telephony services using mobile numbers</a>


"MNV platform” means the mobile number validation platform established under rule 7A to enable validation by authorised entities and licensees as regards whether telecommunication identifiers specified by TIUE customers or users, correspond to the users as present in the database of an authorised entity or licensee, as the case may be," it said.

It added, "Mobile number validation under this rule shall be solely for the purpose of validation of customers or users associated with a telecommunication identifier for the purpose of services linked to such identifier, and the TIUE, authorised entity and licensee, as the case may be, shall ensure compliance with applicable laws relating to data protection for this purpose."

The move is designed to curb identity spoofing, impersonation, and fraudulent service activations, particularly in light of rising cybercrimes involving fake or unverified numbers.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/dot-mandates-telcos-to-implement-inclusive-digital-kyc-processes-following-sc-judgement-67056.htm">DoT mandates telcos to implement inclusive digital KYC processes following SC judgement</a>


"With a view to ensuring telecom cyber security and prevent security incidents, the Central Government shall by itself, or through an agency authorised by the Central Government, establish a MNV platform and issue directions to authorised entities and licensees, as regards the form and manner in which to participate on such platform.

The Central Government or State Government or any agency authorised by the Central Government or State Government, may also seek validation on the MNV platform as regards whether telecommunication identifiers as specified by TIUE customers or users, correspond to the users as present in the database of an authorised entity or licensee."

Significantly, the draft rules empower the government to temporarily suspend or even permanently disconnect telecom identifiers linked to suspicious activities, either by telecom companies or TIUEs, without prior notice, if deemed necessary in public interest. 

Manufacturers of telecom equipment can also be directed not to reuse tampered IMEI numbers, with the government maintaining a central database of compromised devices.

By bringing platforms beyond the telecom sector under regulatory oversight for identifier validation, the government aims to close loopholes exploited by cybercriminals. For example, a fintech app or OTT platform using phone numbers for logins or service provisioning would now be accountable for ensuring the number actually belongs to the claimed user.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/dot-directs-isps-to-adopt-in-domain-synchronize-timekeeping-in-nationwide-internet-oversight-push-71448.htm">DoT directs ISPs to adopt “.in” domain, synchronize timekeeping in nationwide internet oversight push</a>


Stakeholder and public have 30 days from the notification date to submit objections or suggestions before the rules are finalised.

"... the said draft rules shall be taken into consideration after the expiry of thirty days from the date on which copies of this notification as published in the Gazette of India, are made available to the public; Objections or suggestions, if any, may be addressed to the Joint Secretary (Telecom), Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India. The objections or suggestions which may be received from any person in respect of the said draft rules before the expiry of the aforesaid period shall be taken into consideration by the Central Government," it said.

Centre tightens Telecom Cybersecurity Rules, mandates mobile number validation for all service platforms

Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has revealed that the "biggest risk" of his life was building telecom giant Jio as his board members expressed skepticism to his ambition.

"The biggest risk we have taken so far was Jio. At the time, it was our own money that we were investing, and I was the majority shareholder," the billionaire mentioned in an interview with McKinsey & Company.

The business tycoon admitted that his board members were doubtful about the financial viability of his telecom venture. Ambani said analysts thought India was not prepared to have advanced digital technology.

However, he moved forward with his ambition, despite pondering over the failure of the venture. The RIL Chairman said even if the investment had not delivered the expected returns, it would still be Reliance's greatest act of philanthropy, contributing to India's digital transformation.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/jio-and-airtel-sustain-broadband-supremacy-amid-modest-industry-growth-trai-64918.htm">Jio and Airtel sustain broadband supremacy amid modest industry growth: TRAI</a>

Ambani said that the company has always been a risk taker as scaling in business is significant.

"I told my board, in the worst case, we will not earn much return. That's okay because it's our own money. But then, as Reliance, this will be the best philanthropy that we will have ever done in India because we will have digitized India and thereby completely transformed India," Ambani told the management consulting firm.

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Mukesh Ambani launched Reliance Jio in 2016, which has now become India's largest telecom operator. In Quarter 4, the Jio platform clocked a 17.7% revenue growth and a 25.7% rise in net profit. Jio's revenue surged to Rs 30,018 crore in the January-March quarter of fiscal year 2025. The company’s 5G user base surged to 191 million, while the average revenue per user (ARPU) rose to Rs 206.20 in Q4FY25. Jio has a steadily growing footprint in 5G, cloud, and AI services.

"You start off by thinking in terms of what the worst is that could happen, and then you have to survive that. This has been one of my principles," the chairman of RIL added.

RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani shares his life's boldest bet, 'Biggest risk we took was...'

In a recent advisory, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a stern warning to its employees against utilizing political clout or external influence in decisions related to service matters such as transfers, postings, and promotions. The circular reinforces existing protocols under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, emphasizing that any attempt to leverage political connections constitutes a violation of Rule 20 and will attract disciplinary action.

The advisory, dated June 17, said, "It has been observed that some government servants are attempting to influence service-related decisions, particularly transfers and postings, by soliciting political or external support, including through relatives or wards. This is a violation of Rule 20 of the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which expressly prohibits bringing or attempting to bring political or outside influence in such matters.

As per the Government’s decisions under Rule 20, a first-time violation invites formal advice; a second violation results in a written warning to be placed on record; further violations call for disciplinary proceedings under the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. Representations from relatives are not to be entertained unless the employee is incapacitated or deceased. Further, as per GID (5) below Rule 20, references from MPs or other dignitaries will be presumed to have been solicited by the employee and dealt with accordingly."


This move echoes similar actions taken by other central bodies. For example, the Central Public Works Department issued a comparable caution in July 2023 when personnel were found lobbying for transfers via political networks . The DoT's new guidelines align with its ongoing effort to maintain impartiality and transparency across the organization.

"All ITS officers are hereby advised to refrain from any such practice and not to bring political and other outside influence directly or through their relative/ wards to further their service matters particularly in the matter of transfers/ posting."

The officers are advised to seek redress through prescribed official channels only. Any instance of violation of these rules/ orders would be viewed very seriously and the officers/officials responsible for such violation would attract strict disciplinary action, DoT said.

DoT Tightens Code of Conduct: Staff barred from political influencing in service matters

The government of India has directed telcos to maintain seamless communication for national security amid India-Pakistan tension. 

According to a report by CNBC-TV18, all telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL, have been asked to maintain a list of critical infrastructure, particularly in border areas. 

All telcos have also conveyed readiness to deploy emergency measures.

The government has emphasized uninterrupted tower operations, transceiver stations within 100 kms of the international border.

Further, on request from the defence ministry, communication facilities should be provided urgently. 

The Centre has also asked telcos to ensure sufficient fuel, availability of DG sets to guarantee power to the tower and infrastructure.

Telcos should have war rooms to plan for contingencies, and preparedness details should be shared with the government, the order stated 

In another news, platform X has blocked more than 8,000 accounts within India in response to executive directives from the Indian government.

In a public statement, X acknowledged its compliance with the government's demands, citing potential penalties that include substantial fines and the risk of imprisonment for employees based in India. Nevertheless, the company said it "disagrees with the Indian government’s demands," asserting that the blocking of entire accounts suppresses free expression and undermines the right to access information.

“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content,” the company said. “This is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.”

Govt orders telcos to provide uninterrupted services in border areas amid Indo-Pak tension

Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Monday announced two new features in its fight against spam calls.

According to the telco, the customers will receive SPAM alerts for calls and SMS messages in their preferred Indian languages. This new feature will be available in nine vernacular languages, with plans to add more in the future. Airtel’s AI-powered tool will now screen and alert customers to all SPAM calls and SMSes originating from international networks. 

According to Airtel, there has been a 12% increase in overseas spam calls in the last six months.

"Once Airtel intensified its efforts to combat domestic spam calls, scamsters and spammers resorted to exploiting foreign networks to funnel fraudulent calls into India," the company said in a stock exchange filing.

With these new features, Airtel expects to nullify international spam calls.

The upgraded AI-driven SPAM solution will now notify users about calls and messages from both domestic and
international numbers in ten Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada,
Malayalam, Urdu, Punjabi and Telugu. SPAM alert notifications using vernacular languages are only accessible to customers using Android devices. All these features continue to be free for customers and will get auto-activated for All Airtel customers without them having to raise a service request.

"With the growing volume of SPAM traffic shifting to foreign networks, we have decided to expand our AI-powered tool to scan all SMS messages and phone calls originating from international numbers," Siddharth Sharma, Director Marketing and CEO Connected Homes, Bharti Airtel, said.

Airtel launched an anti-spam tool in September 2024. According to telco, it has identified 27.5 billion calls to date, which translates to 1560 spam calls every second. The company claimed that its customers have also seen a 16% decrease in SPAM calls since the launch of the anti-spam feature.

Airtel introduces AI-powered spam detection for international calls, SMSes in 10 languages

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), during Dr. Neeraj Mittal's, Secretary (Telecom), visit to Geneva to advance India's global leadership in digital connectivity. This marks the beginning of a new phase of strategic collaboration. 

The collaboration between DoT and ITU marks a shift in the telecom sector’s role from merely providing connectivity to becoming a platform for data-driven decision-making. This partnership will also explore new business models, enabling a scalable, knowledge-based ecosystem that drives sustainable growth. The agreement aims to foster innovation in emerging technologies, including digital twins, AI-driven solutions, virtual world technologies, and the transformative potential of IMT-2030.

Dr. Mittal met with ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin to reaffirm India’s commitment to digital connectivity, inclusion and innovation. Their discussions focused on India's leadership in 5G/6G technologies, AI for digital transformation, cybersecurity frameworks and ITU’s Partner2Connect initiative, which seeks to bridge the global digital divide. India also pledged continued support for ITU’s initiatives by contributing to global connectivity projects and skill development programs.

In a move to position India as a global hub for telecommunications policy and ICT regulations, Dr. Mittal proposed hosting the ITU-Plenipotentiary Conference 2030 in India. The proposal was positively acknowledged, with further discussions set to take place at the upcoming ITU Council Meeting. 

Why India-ITU collaboration?

Knowledge Sharing & Capacity Building: Exchange insights from DoT’s Sangam and ITU’s Citiverse to enhance cross-sectoral data integration and collaborative planning.

Global Standards Development: Contribute to ITU-T Study Group 20 to create global standards, APIs, and methodologies for IoT, digital twins, and smart cities.

Sandbox Environments & Pilot Projects: Establish controlled environments to test and validate innovative digital twin technologies and regulatory frameworks.

Citizen Engagement & Simulations: Utilize AI-powered platforms for real-time urban planning, enabling participatory governance and collaborative decision-making.

Privacy & Data Security: Share insights on privacy-enhancing techniques (PETs) for ICT measurement and secure urban planning initiatives.

AI Model Integration for Digital Twins: Develop custom AI models using country-specific datasets to optimize infrastructure development and urban mobility.

The next generation of mobile communication technologies is evolving beyond traditional connectivity, integrating AI, digital twins, and real-time connectivity into a seamless ecosystem. These advancements will transform infrastructure planning across key sectors such as transportation, urban development, and healthcare, making them more dynamic, adaptive, and sustainable.

India strengthens global telecom leadership; signs LoI with ITU

Bharti Airtel has flagged a 8 billion spam calls and 0.8 billion spam SMSes within two and a half months of launching its AI-powered, spam-fighting solution. As per the company, the AI-powered network has successfully identified close to 1 million spammers every day leveraging this advanced algorithm.  

The company, in the last 2.5 months, has alerted close to 252 million unique customers to these suspicious calls and has observed that there has been a 12 percent decline in the number of customers answering them. Six percent of all calls on the Airtel network have been identified as spam calls, while 2 percent of all SMSes have also been identified as spam. Interestingly, it has been observed that a staggering 35 percent of the spammers have used landline telephones.  

Additionally, customers in Delhi have received the maximum number of spam calls, followed by customers in Andhra Pradesh and Western Uttar Pradesh. Delhi is also where a maximum number of the spam calls have originated, followed by Mumbai and Karnataka. In terms of SMSes, the maximum number have originated in Gujarat followed by Kolkata and Uttar Pradesh and the maximum number of customers targeted have been from Mumbai, Chennai and Gujarat. 

As per the trends, 76 percent of all spam calls have been targeted at male customers. Additionally, distinct differences have been noted in terms of spam call frequency across age demographics. Customers in the age bracket of 36-60 have received 48 percent of all spam calls, while those in the 26-35 age bracket have been the second-most targeted, accounting for 26 percent of spam calls. Approximately only 8 percent of the spam calls have landed in the handsets of senior citizens. 

The company's findings have also shed light on the hourly distribution of spam activity. Spam calls commence from 9 am onwards and gradually escalate in volume as the day progresses. The peak of spam activity is observed between  noon and 3 pm, during which the highest concentration of spam calls occur. Moreover, there is a notable disparity in the frequency of spam calls between weekdays and weekends. The volume of these calls diminishes by around 40 percent on Sundays. Specifically, devices in the price range of 15,000 to 20,000 rupees are the recipients of approximately 22 percent of all spam calls.  

By meticulously examining a multitude of parameters, the AI-driven system has been able to identify these unwanted intrusions in real-time with remarkable accuracy. This groundbreaking initiative has firmly established Airtel as the first service provider in India to offer a comprehensive solution to the growing menace of spam, setting new industry standards for inclusive security measures that prioritise the privacy and convenience of its vast customer base.  

The Government of India (GoI) has allocated 10-digit numbers with the prefix 160 to for service and transactional calls. Customers can expect to receive calls from these 160-prefix series assigned to banks, mutual funds, insurance companies, stockbrokers, other financial institutions, corporates, enterprises, SMEs, big and small businesses used for making transactional and service calls.  

Additionally, those customers who have not opted for Do-not-disturb (DND) and have subscribed to receiving promotional calls will continue to receive them from a 10-digit number with the prefix 140.  

TELECOM