Telecom is now 'intelligence infrastructure,' says Jio's Mathew Oommen
Jio Group CEO Mathew Oommen spoke at the ETTelecom Awards 2026, saying that we're not just upgrading tech: AI is totally changing how economies and businesses work.
He shared that telecom is moving beyond just connecting people; it's now the "intelligence infrastructure" powering AI.
Oommen's vision for telecom's evolution
Oommen explained that telecom operators like Jio are set to control AI's foundation by acting as token service providers.
Oommen said telecom is evolving beyond mere connectivity into a foundational intelligence infrastructure.
Jio plans to build an Intelligence Grid, aiming to be one of the first scalable token providers.
AI investment and telecom network transformation
Significant investment is flowing into AI, driving more game-changing uses for telecom networks.
To keep up, Jio has rolled out new tools: the Jio AI Platform, Jio Brain, and JioAICloud.
Oommen on India's position in the intelligence economy
At another event, Oommen credited India's top spot in the intelligence economy to supportive government policies, Akash Ambani's leadership since 2022, and India's young population.
JPL crossed 500 million subscribers in August 2025 and has more than 9 million subscribers on 5G fixed wireless (FWA).
Oommen said a next-generation India-owned intelligence stack should be powered by Distributed Token Infrastructure (DTI) and a Universal Token Interface (UTI), likening the opportunity to UPI's role in payments.