A billionaire, Mukesh Ambani, made internet connection, adoption and use cheaper in India than in Nigeria. In England Lyca and Lebara wanted to do same but they could not achieve free calls, free texts and free browsing. For six months, Jio offered free calls, texts, and unlimited 4G data in India, and that transformed India's telecoms forever. Everyone wanted to learn online, every business got on the Internet, many lives changed, by a billionaire who loves his people. We will see that in Nigeria soon.
Nigeria offers the worst and the most expensive mobile data among the emerging economies: Nigeria is the worst managed oil economy with about 200 million people. Our mobile telephony is in need of a Mukesh Ambani who revolutionized India's telecoms by making a great sacrifice most Nigerian billionaires and corporate mafia will never make. Nigeria charges $1.74 per 1GB, with poor infrastructure, poor network services and power customer experience. 1GB in India is far better than 3GB in Nigeria. I noticed this while in India.
India offers the cheapest mobile data globally because of Mukesh. As of recent reports, the average cost of 1GB of mobile data in India is approximately $0.17, making it one of the most affordable markets for telecom services.
The man behind this telecom revolution in India is Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani. Mukesh Ambani ranks 14th on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list, with a net worth of approximately $106.5 billion. His wealth continues to grow, driven by the success of Reliance Industries and its diverse influence in India's telecoms via Jio which has brought down competitive pricing for telecoms products and services.
Just as his father once disrupted the textile market to democratize access to affordable clothing, Mukesh envisioned democratizing access to the internet for every Indian. And he achieved it, quite clearly, patiently.
At the time, the telecom industry in India was an oligopoly dominated by Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea, with expensive data prices locking millions out of the digital world. Mukesh’s childhood lessons of challenging the status quo came to the forefront.
He quietly built Jio, India’s first 4G-only network, pouring in $35 billion to create cutting-edge infrastructure. But where others saw reckless spending, Mukesh saw opportunity. He remembered his father’s teaching: play the long game, and the rewards will follow.
When Jio launched, Mukesh shattered all conventions. For six months, Jio offered free calls, texts, and unlimited 4G data. It wasn’t just a business move—it was a calculated masterstroke rooted in the wisdom Mukesh had learned as a child. He understood human behavior deeply, knowing that once people experienced the digital world, they would be hooked. Millions of Indians who had never even considered using data suddenly became avid users. Established telecom giants such as Airtel, Idea were blindsided, slashing prices in a futile attempt to compete. But Mukesh had already won. Jio quickly amassed over 100 million users, and smaller competitors began collapsing under the pressure.
Today, Jio isn’t just a telecom company; it’s the backbone of India’s digital ecosystem, spanning broadband, e-commerce, fintech, and more.
Jio turned Mukesh’s $25 billion "giveaway" into a $100 billion empire, bringing global giants like Google and Facebook on board as partners. But beneath all the numbers and strategy lies the heart of a boy who once watched his father defy convention and promised himself he would do the same.
The echoes of his childhood were clear: just as Dhirubhai disrupted industries in his time, Mukesh was now rewriting the rules of his own era. Where his father democratized textiles, Mukesh democratized connectivity. Once seen as a luxury, the internet became a tool for empowerment, education, and opportunity for millions of Indians. Jio not only reduced data prices by 95% but also drove internet penetration from 27% to 47%. It was a revolution on the scale that only someone raised to think limitlessly could achieve.
I hope that kind of miraculous progress in the data and internet sector emerges soon in Nigeria.
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