Reliance Industries-owned Jio Platforms filed for an IPO in Mumbai, reportedly with intentions of raising around INR360 billion ($3.8 billion) to pay down debt in its telecoms business.

Billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani (pictured) said at Reliance Industries’ annual shareholder meeting its board had approved a prospectus, which has now been filed with Indian regulators.

Th prospectus did not reveal the size of the listing or a fundraising target, but Reuters reported the sum it is looking for, noting this would be equal to 2.9% of its equity and value the entire business at around INR12.3 trillion.

The previous largest IPO amount raised was the INR278.7 billion generated by Hyundai Motor in a listing in 2024.

Jio Platforms includes the company’s Jio Infocomm telecoms arm and houses its AI, cloud and enterprise network offerings.

Reuters stated around INR275 billion of any sum raised would go towards repaying Jio Infocomm debt.

Ambani said the proposed listing “will demonstrate to the world that India can build technology companies of global scale, global capability and global value”.

Jio entered the Indian market in 2016 and shook up the competitive landscape with low-cost data plans, which attracted millions of users.

In its prospectus, the company stated it had 524.4 million subscribers at end-March, including 268.5 million 5G customers.

The company previously attracted funding from global investors including Meta Platforms, Google and private equity players.

Should the IPO size prove correct, the target is lower than previously mooted: in 2025, Bloomberg reported it was looking to list 5% of its mobile unit, to raise around $6 billion.

Starlink rival.
Also at the shareholder meeting, Jio Platforms revealed it is exploring building its own satellite constellation, a move which would directly rival SpaceX’s Starlink.

Bloomberg reported Jio Platforms’ MD Akash Ambani said it is considering deploying a low Earth orbit satellite network along with exploring partnerships to lease capacity from global providers to “accelerate service availability while building our own long-term sovereign capability”.

The approach would allow Jio to lay the foundation for a satellite broadband play, while working to build ground stations to support the network.

Starlink has partnered with Jio, but is yet to launch services in India due to regulatory roadblocks.

The post Jio Platforms targets record-breaking Indian IPO appeared first on Mobile World Live.

South Korean operator KT moved the goalposts in customer loyalty initiatives, promising to take 1,200 of its most-dedicated subscribers for a night out at a musical based on the work of late artiste Kim Kwang-seok.

KT is targeting the offer to attend The Days at customers who have subscribed to its mobile, internet and TV services for at least five years, pitching the move as a cultural twist on traditional loyalty rewards.

The seating capacity of the D-cube Arts Centre hosting the musical is 1,242, meaning KT’s move is essentially a complete takeover for the night of 25 July.

KT also plans to offer those attending commemorative photographs and theatre programmes.

The operator is also offering an experience at the KT Wiz Park involving baseball, inviting applications from customers keen to enjoy some luxury camping and watching a game at the venue.

KT emphasised the musical and baseball offers are somewhat extreme examples of ongoing lifestyle benefit programmes providing various discounts on services.

Kim Young-geol, SVP and head of KT’s Customer Business Division, said the operator arranged “this Invitation Dream event to express our gratitude” to long-term customers.

The post KT invites customers to a musical appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Australian regulator ACMA advanced preparations for the introduction of anti-scam measures on SMS by advising users of the visual changes involved.

ACMA lined up the introduction of SMS Sender ID Register rules for 1 July and stated it would mean some messages are labelled as unverified to alert consumers to potential scams.

Unverified messages are to be grouped in a single thread to draw attention to them.

ACMA member Samantha Yorke believes the measures will boost consumer confidence in the legitimacy of messages and “help prevent impersonation scams”.

She advised people to be cautious about messages tagged as unverified and check for proven contact information online or using bills.

The regulator is acting after scammers took Australians for almost AUD18 million ($12.7 million) using SMS in 2025.

It stated almost 17,000 sender IDs have already been verified, but Yorke warned businesses which do not get their details in by the launch date risk being flagged as potential scams.

She said operators are also set to publicise the move to their customers directly.

The post ACMA tackles AUD18M SMS scam problem appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Global logistics player LX Pantos made a major move around robotics, tasking LG’s consulting unit with helping to research the potential around using humanoid and shuttle variants.

LG CNS is to work with LX Pantos on an automation system to incorporate the two types of robots into the specialist’s Megawise Cheongna Logistics Centre, a fulfilment facility in South Korea spanning 142,852 square metres

The facility is one of 380 logistics hubs LX Pantos operates globally. Shuttle robots are to be used to retrieve items which humanoid versions would then sort and dispatch.

Robots are to be trained using LX Pantos’ field data through a proprietary learning platform. The machines themselves are being sourced from US specialist Dexmate, a company which LG CNS previously invested in.

Park Sang-kyun, EVP and head of Telecommunications, Distribution and Service Business division at LG CNS, said the companies would look to “verify the applicability of various robots”, learning and “operation platforms to logistics sites”.

The company explained the Dexmate mobile shuttle robot has a velocity of 1.5 metres per second and can handle goods weighing up to 1,500kg.

LG CNS and LX Pantos intend to establish a demonstration zone to showcase the potential of their robotics collaboration later this year, pitching possible benefits including a reduction in repetitive tasks at the logistics facility.

The post LG, logistics leader research robot potential appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Counterpoint Research co-founder and research VP Neil Shah warned reports India hit the brakes on licensing SpaceX’s Starlink service could be bad news for the company’s IPO.

In a post on X, the analyst pointed to the scale of the Indian market along with highlighting the connection between revenue generation and investment in space projects.

Shah argued these elements are all at risk if India halts approvals for the launch of commercial Starlink services, in turn putting a “spanner in the wheel” of SpaceX’s pending IPO.

The reported timing of India’s intentions is “really bad”, Shah wrote.

Counterpoint Research’s executive was responding to a Bloomberg article indicated India had put approval processes on ice. Authorities are concerned over reports unlicensed Starlink terminals had been used in Iran, the news outlet stated.

Shah added India’s “highly sensitive, contested borders” are another factor, making the “threat of unmonitored, untraceable satellite terminals operating on its soil” without domestic oversight an “absolute red line”.

Bloomberg noted India’s population is the biggest in the world: Shah put the proportion at 40%.

The news outlet highlighted Lauren Dreyer, VP of Business Operations at Starlink, used X to explain the company “remains in active and productive discussions” with India’s government.

Dreyer branded the speculation “misleading” and “based on unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources”.

Shah noted the potential licensing fracas indicates sovereignty assurances are emerging as an important requirement for privately-held companies seeking to deliver space-based services in “key economies”, pointing to moves by China and the European Union covering low Earh orbit services as examples.

Bloomberg stated SpaceX is preparing an expected historic listing on 12 June.

The post India Starlink setback could impact SpaceX IPO appeared first on Mobile World Live.

SK Group, NTT and Chunghwa Telecom were among the parties to form an AI investment fund expected to reach $500 million, with the aim of backing companies working on technology related to optical and wireless networking.

The IOWN AI Fund has been established alongside Catalight Capital, a company set-up to manage the project from offices in Japan and the US.  

Other current financiers are Development Bank of Japan, and Young Sohn, an entrepreneur who is founding managing partner of VC company Walden Catalyst Ventures and former chief strategy officer of Samsung Electronics.

In a joint statement, the companies and Sohn revealed more than 20 parties around the globe had expressed an interest in contributing to the fund, which is expected to reach $500 million in size.

Businesses apparently mulling the opportunity include KDDI, NEC, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Sony, Fujitsu and various VC companies.

Catalight Capital will be charged with hunting down promising start-ups for investment. Targets will be in technologies related to the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) ecosystem.

It intends to invest in companies working in areas including: photonics; AI processors and advanced packaging; light source and modulators; management technology for distributed AI infrastructure; software; AI models and inference; and applications and services.

Global push
SK Group chair Chey Tae-won stated he hoped the fund would: “play a key role in identifying and fostering AI start-ups not only across Asia but around the world”, noting “to emerge as a competitive AI nation, proactive and large-scale investment in AI infrastructure is essential, and trust-based global cooperation is equally important”.

NTT President and CEO Akira Shimada added “to realise AI-native infrastructure, it is essential to combine the optical and networking technologies that NTT has cultivated with advanced technologies and the strengths of partners”.

“Through the IOWN AI Fund, we will promote business collaboration with promising startups, work together with our global partners to build the IOWN ecosystem, and contribute to the creation of a new industrial foundation”.

IOWN is a vision initially pushed by NTT to drive next generation ICT infrastructure which uses optical networking technology to vastly cut electricity use while delivering high performance. The associated IOWN Global Forum has 170 member organisations.

The post Asia heavyweights partner on $500M AI fund appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Singtel Group positioned a partnership with government-linked body Digital Industry Singapore as helping it accelerate a sweeping AI transformation of its business and strengthen digital infrastructure in the country.

The operator noted the pact, which comes with a grant for the company, will contribute to a multi-year plan to up adoption of AI across its business including within infrastructure, customer platforms and for workforce development.

In the first phase Singtel plans to develop and hire AI talent, establish governance and tech frameworks and build “enterprise advisory and implementation expertise to support AI deployment at scale”.

Among its aims is to become a “world-leading AI-native telco” with advanced AI and machine learning capabilities in all business units.

The operator highlighted its push aligned with a wider national strategy in Singapore which aims to strengthen sovereign digital infrastructure, increase skills of the local workforce and develop “globally competitive leaders” in the AI sector.

Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon added it was “championing enterprise transformation with AI” in its home market.

“As an adopter, provider and enabler of AI, Singtel is embedding intelligent technologies across our operations, delivering trusted enterprise-grade solutions that help customers move from pilot to scale, and providing secure, sovereign platforms and digital infrastructure to support adoption across industries.”

He continued: “Ultimately, our goal is to create real impact not just for our business, but for Singapore, future-proofing our industries to be more competitive and resilient in the AI era.”

The post Singtel advances drive for widespread internal AI use appeared first on Mobile World Live.

SoftBank Group’s mobile payment subsidiary PayPay inked a deal to acquire a 70% stake in T&D Financial Life Insurance Company for JPY134 billion ($840 million), part of an aim to broaden its range of financial services.

When launched in 2018 PayPay focused on providing contactless mobile payments but has since widened this to include credit cards and other banking services. It had a base of more than 74 million users as of May 2026.

Announcing the deal, PayPay said the move to buy the life insurance company from T&D Holdings was part of an ambition to “provide comprehensive financial services tailored to each stage of users’ lives”.

The company intends to grow T&D Financial Life’s business through use of its existing platforms and by creating “new customer experiences in the digital life insurance domain”.  

In a linked deal, asset management company One Investment Management intends to buy a stake of almost 15% in the insurance company from T&D Holdings. The current owner will retain the other 15%, though a call option on this is being inserted into the acquisition agreement.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Alongside the proposed acquisition, PayPay agreed a “comprehensive business alliance” agreement 3with T&D Holdings, largely concerning the latter’s insurance brand Taiyo Life.

The pair will “explore the development and provision of services designed to enhance customer convenience and help address social issues, while also drawing on AI, digital technologies, and other capabilities of SoftBank Corp”.

The pact is set to include: offering T&D Holdings’ Taiyo Life insurance products on the PayPay app; exploring call centre enhancement and operational efficiency for Taiyo Life; and jointly exploring a “smart senior city concept”.

The post SoftBank’s PayPay set for life insurance buy appeared first on Mobile World Live.

T-Mobile US officially opened a global capability centre (GCC) in Hyderabad, India, with plans to hire around 1,000 staff by 2027, its first such facility outside of its home market.

The Indian government stated T-Mobile, through its TMUS Global Solutions Technology subsidiary, opened a site spanning 250,000 square feet in the city, which is situated in the state of Telangana.

It will operate as a strategic innovation hub within its global network, focusing on software engineering, DevOps, product development, cloud technologies, AI, data analytics, cybersecurity and next-generation digital solutions.

Posting on X, minister for IT Sridhar Duddilla said T-Mobile’s GCC represented another significant milestone in Telangana’s growth as a technology and innovation destination.

“The decision by T-Mobile to expand its presence here reflects the confidence that global companies have in Telangana’s talent, business-friendly environment, and strong digital infrastructure.”

Chandra Gupta, VP IT operations at TMUS Global Solutions, added the company decided to locate the facility in Hyderabad as it offers “a combination of technology talent and an established innovation ecosystem aligned with the company’s long-term goals”.

The Economic Times of India reported the company has already onboarded more than 500 people at the facility,

According to Reuters, India’s GCCs have evolved from low-cost outsourcing hubs to offices for global companies, supporting parent companies in several functions.

The post T-Mobile US expands globally with India tech hub appeared first on Mobile World Live.