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Google backs Reliance’s Jio Platforms with $4.5 billion India investment

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NEW DELHI/OAKLAND (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google will invest $4.5 billion in Reliance Industries’ digital unit, the Indian group said on Wednesday as it laid out an ambitious roadmap for its businesses ranging from entertainment to retail.

Google will get a 7.7% stake in Jio Platforms – the unit which houses Reliance’s music, movie apps and telecoms venture – Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani told the group’s annual shareholder meeting, keeping up the tradition of making big announcements at the event.

Reliance, India’s most highly-valued company controlled by billionaire Ambani, has now sold nearly 33% of Jio Platforms raising 1.52 trillion rupees ($20.22 billion) since late April with Facebook buying a 9.99% stake for $5.7 billion.

Google will gain a seat on Jio Platforms’ board alongside Facebook following the transaction.

The latest investment announced on Wednesday comes just days after Alphabet Inc said it would invest $10 billion in India via a so-called digitisation fund over the next five to seven years through equity deals and tie-ups.

“As we end our current cycle of capital raising, we are delighted to welcome another strategic partner into Jio,” Ambani said.

The deal with Google will bolster Reliance’s tech ambitions, such as building smart homes, using solutions similar to Amazon.com Inc’s Alexa voice assistant, connected cars and security systems.

Partnership impact

Jio aims to design a low-cost “4G or even 5G smartphone” for India, Ambani said, in a move that is likely to get tens of millions of Indians to use mobile internet for the first time.

The company, he said, will collaborate with Google to build an Android-based operating system for this new device.

“We want to ensure smartphones along with apps and services in the Play store are within reach for many more Indians,” Sameer Samat, vice president for Android and Play at Google, told Reuters.

“Given the pace of innovation in India, we felt like now was the right time to dramatically increase our commitment.”

Samat declined to give details on the new device or partners Google and Reliance may enlist to help manufacture it.

Google has previously invested in KaiOS, a mobile operating system maker that powers Reliance’s low-cost JioPhone, a basic phone with limited apps.

Jio Infocomm, the mainstay of Jio Platforms and India’s largest mobile carrier with more than 387 million users, will also widen Google’s reach in a country where just about 500 million of its 1.3 billion population use the internet.

“Through this partnership with Jio Platforms we see the chance to have an even greater impact than either company could have alone,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a video message, adding that the Jio investment was “the first and the biggest” investment Google would make via its $10 billion fund.

Google could potentially also benefit from Ambani’s closeness to the nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has taken a hard stand on issues such as data localisation and digital taxes, a headache for big tech firms such as Facebook and Google.

New offerings

Reliance, which has also won the backing of Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp for Jio Platforms, has built an in-house 5G solution and is ready for trials as soon as 5G airwaves are available, Ambani said.

Ambani did not specify what this solution was, but said Jio would be well-positioned to export it once it reaches scale.

He said the group had also received “strong interest from strategic and financial investors” in Reliance Retail, adding: “We will induct global partners and investors in Reliance Retail in the next few quarters.”

He said JioMart, Reliance Retail’s e-commerce venture which was launched in March, will expand beyond grocery deliveries to sell electronics and fashion. It currently offers free express grocery delivery from neighbourhood mom-and-pop stores.

Reliance also showed off its tech prowess on Wednesday by unveiling two new gadgets: an Apple TV-like new, set-top box with improved features over the previous iteration, and JioGlass, a device that connects to internet for video calls and allows for hosting of online classes.

Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani demonstrated the educational and healthcare uses of JioMeet, a newly launched video conferencing tool that is free and rivals Zoom Video Communications Inc’s app.

Reporting and photo: Reuters

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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