Jio Platforms Ltd plans to bring down the cost of artificial intelligence tokens, the basic units of text that AI models process, to the lowest level, just as it once did with voice calls and mobile data.
After making calls free and pushing data prices to among the cheapest in the world, the company is now preparing for the next shift: positioning AI tokens as the new currency of telecom. In AI systems, tokens act as the meter that measures how much computing power is used.
In an interview with Moneycontrol at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Group CEO of Jio Platforms, Mathew Oommen, said future telecom networks will be natively embedded with AI, powered by a vertically integrated seven-layer architecture spanning chips, models, applications and edge infrastructure. Jio’s ambition is to move beyond being a connectivity pipe and evolve into a “token value” provider, owning the economics of AI and distributing intelligence from cloud to device. Edited excerpts:
Q: During your Mobile World Congress keynote, you spoke about the intelligence era. Where does Jio fit into this new AI-driven economy?
When we think about the new economy, I sincerely believe technology is what will drive it. Technology leadership is economic leadership — and economic leadership is national leadership.
For telecom operators, the currency until now has been minutes and bytes. The new currency is going to be tokens. And even in tokens, it is not one-size-fits-all. There will be multiple types of tokens delivered for multiple requirements.
For robotic AI or physical AI, the performance requirements of the token will be materially different from the token required for a simple text query. So tokenisation itself will evolve in many forms.
Jio fundamentally transformed the voice and data industry. We made voice free. We disrupted the cost per GB — India today has the lowest cost per GB. And now, Jio is determined to bring the cost of tokens to the lowest level.
But it’s not just about providing tokens cheaply. It’s about democratising tokens — not just to everyone, but to everything.
In tomorrow’s world, the device ecosystem will be fundamentally different. Networks will look different. Devices will look different. The telecom industry itself will look totally different.
Q: Can Jio become the leader in managing the economics of tokens?
It’s first about creating the capability. We don’t believe the telecom fabric should be about minutes and bytes anymore. The telecom fabric will be natively embedded with the AI fabric. In fact, we have never seen ourselves as just a telecom provider — we have always been a digital services provider.
To own the full value of the tokenomics model, we must ensure we are not generating just one type of token. There will be many types of tokens serving many endpoints and use cases. Clearly, we look forward to going beyond being just a participant — we want to be a champion in owning the tokonomics model.
Q: You spoke about dismantling and rebuilding, and segmentation during your keynote. What exactly does that mean?
It’s more than upskilling. This is not about automating what exists today. It’s not about doing things faster and cheaper. That would only lead to incremental gains.
To get the full benefit of intelligence, you must redefine workflows entirely. That’s why we call it the functional dismantling of the workforce. If you simply bolt intelligence onto existing processes, you get incremental outcomes. But if you redesign workflows from scratch around a desired outcome, you unlock the full potential and value of intelligence.
Q: What elements will Jio bring together to become a token service provider rather than just a telecom operator?
We have prescribed a seven-layer intelligence architecture. It is a unified, integrated architecture — not multiple tools working in isolation.
It includes everything from the physical layer and the chip layer to the models, the applications, the orchestration layer, and integration with the device ecosystem. This is not a set of disparate systems. It is a vertically integrated ecosystem — similar to how Apple built integration across layers — to deliver a defined outcome. It is the integration of workflows towards delivering specific outcomes.
Q: What will differentiate Jio from Big Tech players?
First, owning the subscriber at home and owning the subscriber in the hand is a clear leverage. We already have considerable assets inside homes. Extending intelligence into the home, into businesses, and into devices is something only an architecturally integrated player like Jio can deliver.
Inference will not happen only in central data centres. Some will happen there, but much of it will happen at edge data centres, premise data centres, and eventually even within the device itself. That completely distributed architecture — I don’t see Big Tech having the capability to deliver that today. Our objective is not to become just a token pipe provider, but a token value provider.
Q: Will partnerships be critical in building this token value ecosystem?
To follow the customer, we are always open to partnering with the right technology players. We don’t assume we have 100% of the capability, nor do we assume one technology is superior. Customers have specific use cases. Our objective is to bring together the best solution for them.
You’ve seen this in telecom — for certain critical components, we built our own intellectual property. In other areas, we partnered where it created value. Similarly, in delivering tokens, we will build unique intellectual property while also working with partners where required.
As long as we are delivering value to the customer — whether independently or in partnership — that is what matters.
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