With more than a billion users, India boasts the world's second-largest mobile phone market. Yet, internet growth in this vast market appears to have stalled. In October 2022, the country's telecom regulator counted 790 million wireless broadband subscribers, people who access the internet on mobile phones.
Mr Ambani, who heads the telecoms-to-retail group Reliance Industries, says the high-speed network will be introduced first in major cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai.
He said it will then be expanded to the rest of India by December 2023.
The company is also working with Google to develop a budget 5G smartphone.
Speaking on Monday at Reliance's annual general meeting, Mr Ambani said that once the firm's 5G network is fully operational it would be the biggest in the world.
The service will be rolled out through Reliance's subsidiary Jio - which is India's largest mobile carrier.
Mr Ambani also said that Reliance was working with US technology giant Google to develop an "ultra-affordable" 5G smartphone, without giving further details on its price or planned launch date.
The cheapest 5G-ready smartphones in India currently cost around $150.
The announcements came as the battle for domination in India's digital future is heating up.
Earlier this month, the Indian government concluded a record $19bn auction for airwaves, including 5G airwaves, where Jio emerged as the top buyer.
It also drew bids from other major players Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel - and a fourth new entrant, Adani Data Networks.
The fifth generation of high-speed mobile internet - or 5G - supports emerging technologies such as driverless cars and artificial intelligence.
It seen to be central to India's plans to transform the country into a $1tn digital economy.
In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 5G would "not only accelerate internet speed but also boost development and employment."
During the wide-ranging address to investors, Mr Ambani also laid out a succession plan for his business empire.
The 65-year-old confirmed that his daughter Isha would head Reliance's retail ventures, while his youngest son Anant would join its new energy business.
His eldest son Akash was appointed as the chairman of Jio in June this year.
With an estimated net worth of $91.9bn, Mr Ambani is the eleventh richest person in the world and the second richest person in Asia, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
His late father Dhirubhai Ambani founded a textiles manufacturer that would eventually become Reliance Industries.
It is now India's largest conglomerate by market value, with businesses including petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecoms and retail.
How Ambani is teaming up with Zuckerberg
Mukesh Ambani's $25bn pledge to launch 5G services, is aimed to further edge out competition not just in telecoms but also retail.
The second part of that plan will see two giants joining forces - Mr Ambani's Reliance and US technology giant Meta - formerly known as Facebook.
In a country of 1.4 billion people, there are nearly 500 million users of Meta's WhatsApp platform - a user base Mr Ambani is hoping to entice with his online retail offering.
India is also WhatsApp's largest market and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, has been looking to push its WhatsApp business platform - which allows commerce on the messaging platform - for over a year now.
With this collaboration, Reliance will be able to extend its reach in the online retail sector. And for Meta, partnering with a leading player like Reliance and making its services available to all users on WhatsApp, gives it a stronger hold in India.
India is home to a nearly $700bn retail market and we have seen big businesses jostling to dominate that space.
Reliance Retail operates India's fastest growing and most profitable retail business, with over 12,000 stores across the country.
And with their combined might they hope to take on and beat online retail giants like Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart.
JUNE 20: Some states have shut down the internet and suspended train and bus services on Monday.
Protesters are demanding the rollback of the plan to hire soldiers on a fixed four-year term, saying it would shatter their dreams of a secure job.
They have taken to the streets, blocking roads and torching trains.
Several opposition political parties have given their support to the protests. But the government has refused to cancel the plan, though it has been trying to allay the fears of protesters.
Demonstrations against the plan began in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar last week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government announced changes to how it would recruit soldiers for the armed forces.
But they have now spread to several other states, with thousands of young men attacking train coaches, burning tyres and clashing with security forces.
At least one person died, and several others were injured in the southern state of Telangana where protesters clashed with the police on Friday.
Ahead of the shutdown on Monday, several states announced precautionary restrictions - banning large gatherings, shutting schools and even suspending internet services in some districts. In the state of Jharkhand, school exams have been postponed. And in Bihar, authorities have cancelled 350 trains in the wake of violence.
Fears for future
Protesters say the government's plan to hire temporary soldiers will reduce their chances of getting coveted permanent military jobs, which guarantee fixed salaries and pensions.
They are demanding that the government scrap the new plan and maintain the policy that would offer them a career that usually lasts two decades and offers a pension at the end of it.
Young people in India's smaller towns and villages prepare for years to become soldiers in the armed forces as the job brings prestige, a regular income and for some, a way out of poverty.
The new Agnipath scheme is aimed at people aged between 17.5 and 21 years. It says that successful candidates will join the armed services for four years, after which only 25% of them will be retained.
The soldiers will go through training for six months and then will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will get a monthly starting salary of 30,000 rupees ($384; £316), along with additional benefits which will go up to 40,000 rupees by the end of the four-year service.
The reform is aimed at cutting the army's expenditure on ballooning salaries and pensions - which consume more than half of its budget - and freeing up funds to modernise the forces. The government said this would also "enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces"
In a bid to pacify protesters, the federal government announced late on Thursday night that candidates aged up to 23 years could apply under the scheme in the first year.
On Sunday, the home ministry also said it would reserve 10% of vacancies in the paramilitary forces and the Assam Rifles, a unit in the Indian army, for those who finish the four-year term.
The government has also shared posts on social media, explaining the various opportunities it said would be available to short-term soldiers after they finish their stint. It said that police forces will be asked to accommodate those who successfully finish their four-year terms in the armed forces.
Critics of the plan say that it will weaken the armed forces and also increase unemployment rates in the country.
"It's a foolish move, one that could affect the efficiency of the security forces," said retired Major General Sheonan Singh.
"Saving money is good but it should not be done at the cost of defence forces. If you go to war with an experienced soldier, will a person with four years of training be able to replace him on his death? These things don't work like this."
But those who support the move say that such a plan was needed to make the forces more efficient.
Retired Maj Gen SB Asthana said the step would benefit the army as it would help modernise India's forces.
"It is difficult to train old people in modern technology. But this generation is more capable. This plan will give freedom to the army to keep the best 25% of the soldiers and let the rest go."
With inputs from BBC
A Nepali spends 2.6 percent of their gross annual income to buy internet service while in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the cost is less than 1 percent.
A Nepali spends 2.6 percent of their gross annual income to buy internet service while in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the cost is less than 1 percent.
SRINAGAR, India, Feb 6: India ended an 18-month-long ban on high speed internet services on mobile devices in disputed Kashmir, where opposition to New Delhi has deepened after it revoked the region’s semi-autonomy.
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