Google and Jio: Tapping Growth Opportunities Through Strategic Alliance

Abstract

Alliances are cooperative business relationships in which two or more entities collaborate to achieve a common objective while maintaining their individual independence. An example of such an alliance is the partnership between Google and Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd. This strategic alliance was formed to address the prevailing market challenges and capitalize on the growth opportunities in the Indian smartphone market.

Within this case, we delve into the strategic objectives that motivated Google and Jio to embark on this alliance, explore the growth strategies employed by both partners and assess the advantages gained from this partnership. Readers of this case study will gain insights into the significance of value creation and learn how markets can be shaped through innovative value propositions. Additionally, readers will be equipped to apply the VRIO framework, enabling them to evaluate how each strategic partner benefits from the addition of resources and capabilities, as well as to comprehend the critical success factors inherent in strategic alliances.

Keywords

Reliance Jio Google strategic alliance 5G network market growth

Discussion Questions

What constitutes a strategic alliance, and can an investment of less than 10% be deemed as such?

What strategic objectives motivated Jio and Google to enter into their alliance?

Utilize the VRIO framework to assess the Google and Jio partnership, and analyse the benefits derived from the incorporation of resources and capabilities by each party.

Was the timing appropriate for both alliance partners to engage in this collaboration?

Examine the pivotal factors essential for the establishment and success of a strategic alliance.

Explore the growth prospects for Google and Jio resulting from their strategic alliance.

In July 2020, Alphabet Inc. (Google), a tech giant, garnered attention with its announcement of acquiring a minority stake in Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (Jio), a telecommunications behemoth in India and a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) (PTI, 2020a). This partnership marked Google’s largest investment in a minority stake in any Indian technology company. The investment served as the inauguration of a $10 billion fund known as ‘Google for India’, designed to digitize the Indian economy over the next five to seven years (Baruah, 2020). Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, revealed that this fund would be deployed through equity investments, partnerships and infrastructure improvements to enhance the operational ecosystem (Pichai, 2020).

This collaboration held significant promise for India, promising not only faster internet access through Google Cloud but also the introduction of fully featured, cost-effective smartphones to the market. Furthermore, the alliance aimed to make information more affordable and expand internet access to many Indians for the first time. The partnership between Jio and Google was poised to support Indian businesses in their digital transformation journey and lay the groundwork for the next phase of India’s digital revolution.

In pursuit of its goal to become a debt-free company by 2021, Reliance Jio was highly motivated to enter into this strategic alliance. Having already sold 100 million Jio phones, the challenge was to provide users with a smartphone experience based on the Android operating system, which the existing Jio phones could not offer. RIL recognized an enormous opportunity to transition 350 million users still using 2G technology to the ‘Made in India’ Jio 5G smartphone, offering it at a fraction of the cost of existing 4G smartphones. The enhanced Jio 5G platform also held export potential beyond India’s borders.

This strategic alliance between Google and Jio took the form of an equity partnership, with Google acquiring a 7.73% stake in Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd for $4.5 billion. Google’s investment in Jio aimed to capitalize on the burgeoning opportunities in the emerging Indian digitization market, which boasted approximately 500 million users. Another motivation for Google’s interest in the Indian market was the saturation and intense competition in developed nations (Khan, 2020).

The partnership had a clear objective: to foster the growth of the Android smartphone market in India and seize the forthcoming business prospects expected to accompany the imminent introduction of 5G technology in the Indian market. Nevertheless, the achievement of value innovation hinged on the ability of both industry giants to capitalize on this growth opportunity through their strategic alliance. The ultimate test of this success would be revealed once the reality of 5G technology unfolded.

About Google

Founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google, later known as Google LLC, and formerly as Google Inc. from 1998 to 2017, emerged as an American search engine company (Hall & Hosch, 2023). It began as a subsidiary under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc., a holding company. Prior to this venture, Larry and Sergey had collaborated on the BackRub search engine. The name BackRub was indicative of the algorithm-generated rankings, specifically focusing on the ‘back-links’ of web pages. Initially, this search engine operated on Stanford’s servers for over a year. However, it eventually strained the server bandwidth, prompting a relocation (McFadden, 2023).

Google, one of the most influential and widespread corporations globally, achieved its dominant position through a combination of an entrepreneurial mindset, diligent effort and a fair share of luck (Google, n.d.). It ascended to the forefront of online advertising, cloud computing and the provision of both software and hardware solutions.

The name ‘Google’ was a clever play on the mathematical term ‘googol’, representing the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. This choice of name also reflected the founders’ mission to organize the seemingly infinite wealth of information on the internet. Over the years, Google introduced various products and services. These offerings included ad services through Google Search Appliances (2002), cost-per-click pricing through AdWords (2002) and the connection of advertisers with an extensive network of websites via Google AdSense (2003).

Google broke language barriers with Google Translate (2006) and expanded its portfolio with products like Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and Google Presentations (2006). It also facilitated the provision of free web-based scholarly literature through Google Scholar (2004).

In addition, Google offered web-browsing services through Google Chrome (2008) and introduced flight search and booking services through Google Flights (2011). Google Classroom (2014) allowed for the creation, distribution and grading of assignments while integrating seamlessly with Google Calendar and Google Meet.

Google Business Strategies

Google’s remarkable growth could be attributed to the global proliferation of technology and the continuous expansion of the worldwide smartphone user base. Beyond its origins in search advertising, Google ascended to an unrivalled position as a market leader in the realm of digital advertising. By 2019, Google had amassed an unparalleled cash reserve, surpassing even Apple in this financial race (Pratap, 2020). In the year 2020, Google’s revenue reached a staggering $181.69 billion (Statista, 2023).

Google’s enduring success could primarily be attributed to its comprehensive business strategies, which solidified the company’s journey of growth and positioned it as the largest corporation in the world (refer to Exhibit 1) (Pineda, 2021). Throughout its evolution, Google consistently concentrated on creating, preserving and acquiring technology-related ventures, thereby fortifying its dominance in the industry and erecting formidable barriers to entry for potential newcomers (Market Trends, 2020).

Major Alliances and Acquisitions by Google

Google’s inaugural acquisition in 2001, Dejavue, marked the onset of a prolific acquisition journey for the company; Dejavue became an integral part of the Google group. Since that momentous step, Google and its parent company, Alphabet, went on a relentless acquisition spree, amassing approximately 250 businesses. Many of these acquisitions substantially bolstered Google’s market standing.

As an essential element of Google’s growth strategy, the company also ventured into strategic alliances, particularly in the domain of cloud technology, to co-create services and solutions that support digital transformation. Google’s strategic partnerships with key players like Intel, Telus, Wipro and the AES Corporation were notable milestones in this regard.

Among its acquisitions, the purchase of Fitbit stood out as one of Google’s most significant investments, involving a substantial expenditure of $2.1 billion (Shukla, 2020). Google consistently poured resources into an array of business ventures, even in areas where it initially lacked expertise, a strategy that continuously reinforced its business portfolio. Google’s commitment to these endeavours was exemplified by an aggregate investment of nearly $30 billion in its ten largest acquisitions (refer to Exhibit 2).

About Reliance Group

In 1966, Shri Dhirubhai H. Ambani embarked on a humble journey, establishing a small textile manufacturing unit that would eventually evolve into Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), officially incorporated on 8 May 1973 (Singh, 2023). Over the years, the company underwent a remarkable transformation, transitioning from its textile manufacturing origins to emerging as a prominent player in the petrochemical industry.

RIL’s exceptional performance across major financial indicators catapulted it to the pinnacle of India’s private sector companies, securing its distinction as the first Indian private sector entity to be featured on the prestigious Fortune Global 500 list in 2004 (PTI, 2019). The company not only claimed the title of the world’s largest producer of polyester yarn and fibre but also found its place among the top ten global petrochemical producers (NDTV Profit, n.d.).

In the telecommunications arena, Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, commonly known as Jio, disrupted the Indian market by providing cutting-edge 4G LTE services and becoming the country’s sole VoLTE (Voice over LTE) service provider. Jio’s ambitious vision, driven by its founder, Mukesh Ambani, aimed to provide affordable and comprehensive telecommunications services to every Indian. Within a mere 18 months of its launch in September 2016, Jio managed to secure 100 million subscribers, a remarkable feat considering that only about 28 million Indians out of a population exceeding 1.3 billion owned smartphones at the time (Walt, 2020). Within a few years, Reliance Jio successfully acquired nearly 400 million customers (Techcrunch, 2020).

Continuing on its path as an ambitious technology solutions provider, Reliance Jio ventured into the realm of e-commerce with the introduction of JioMart. This platform served as an aggregator connecting local neighbourhood stores with customers (Gupta, 2020). JioMart’s innovative business model operated on the O2O (online to offline) principle, enabling customers to order products online and delivery through nearby mom-and-pop stores (MyJioMart, 2022). In a short span, JioMart flourished, with 50,000 to 70,000 orders daily across 200 cities in India (Mitter, 2020).

Jio Business Growth Strategy

Bait and Hook Strategy

Reliance Jio’s market penetration strategy revolved around a bait and hook approach. In this strategy, the core product, often referred to as the ‘bait’, was offered at a low cost or, in some cases, for free. However, to fully utilize this basic product, customers were required to purchase a complementary product, known as the ‘hook’, which typically came at a relatively higher price.

To illustrate, customers who did not possess 4G-compatible smartphones were incentivized to switch to Reliance 4G (VoLTE) handsets, which were available at significantly lower price points compared to those offered by competitors. This move allowed customers to become part of the Jio ecosystem, gaining access to a free 4G SIM along with complementary phone calls, data and over-the-top (OTT) services. This strategic approach effectively lured customers with an attractive bait while creating an inherent need to invest in the hook, thereby expanding Jio’s customer base and ecosystem (Mint, 2020b).

Penetration Pricing Strategy

Reliance’s 4G (VoLTE) handsets, priced significantly lower than the competition, proved to be a compelling magnet for customers who did not own 4G-compatible devices. This penetration pricing strategy enabled Reliance to swiftly capture market share, as customers who acquired these affordable 4G Reliance handsets naturally opted for Reliance’s 4G SIM cards.

The allure of free phone calls, data and OTT services bundled with the 4G Reliance Jio SIM cards swiftly attracted a substantial customer base. Many customers perceived this as an opportunity to enjoy these services without ongoing costs, understanding that prices might potentially increase once the promotional period concluded. This combination of affordability, accessibility and the anticipation of future value prompted rapid customer adoption.

Diversification

Jio strategically employed diversification as a growth strategy to secure a strong foothold in various market segments. Under the umbrella of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), this diversification extended across a broad spectrum of domains, including telecommunications, OTT services, healthcare, retail, e-commerce, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) and more (refer to Exhibit 3). This multifaceted approach allowed Jio to tap into diverse markets, expand its product mix and position itself as a versatile player in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Acquisitions

In a proactive move to bridge capability gaps and position itself for the impending 5G era, Jio swiftly acquired a series of companies. These strategic acquisitions included Haptik (specializing in artificial intelligence voice assistants), Embibe (a prominent education content platform), Reverie (known for multilingual integration), Saavn (a leader in music streaming), Tesseract (focused on augmented reality/virtual reality) and Radisys (offering a network stack solution) (Counterpoint, 2023).

With 5G technology on the horizon, Jio strategically readied itself to establish a comprehensive and fully controlled greenfield network. This network would enable Jio to construct the necessary software stack, leveraging Radisys’s capabilities across fixed and wireless networks. These proactive steps, combined with other strategic initiatives, propelled Jio to emerge as the dominant player in the Indian telecom industry.

Customer Acquisition

Initially, Jio’s services were offered at no cost and included a bundle of additional benefits, such as on-demand TV shows and music streaming, available at the client’s convenience. This irresistible package successfully enticed consumers and cost-conscious individuals to transition to Jio’s services (Institute of Product Leadership, 2023).

Focus on Customer Retention

To ensure the loyalty of these early adopters, Jio introduced a prime membership fee that was not only highly competitive but often outperformed the offerings of its competitors.

Referral Marketing

Jio adopted a distinctive marketing strategy compared to its competitors. Instead of heavy spending on advertising, it relied on word-of-mouth and referral marketing to promote its services.

Using Superior Technology

In this context, product development emerged as a crucial factor. Jio introduced VoLTE, a technology that allowed phone calls to be carried out using data, while other network providers remained focused on their investments in older spectrums and maintained separate pricing structures for voice and data services. In essence, Jio managed to address two critical aspects simultaneously: investing in advanced voice technology and tapping into the untapped potential of using internet data for phone calls and messaging.

Jio made a significant impact on the market by employing a blend of traditional and innovative strategies, including a transformative move to convert customers from traditional phone calls to data calls at no additional cost. By aligning its product and marketing strategies with a range of factors, such as pricing, marketing techniques and cutting-edge technology, Jio successfully identified its market niche and substantially expanded its market share (Medium, 2018).

Benefits of the Google and Jio Deal

Google became the 14th investor to join Jio Platforms, following investments from companies like Facebook, Silver Lake Partners and Vista Equity Partners (refer to Exhibit 4) (Business Today, 2020). This development occurred at a time when global firms, including the US-based Google, were facing increased scrutiny regarding their impact on smaller businesses. The US Department of Justice had previously accused Google of acting unlawfully to maintain its dominant position in online search and advertising (Sen, 2020).

India was experiencing remarkable growth in internet usage, with nearly 700 million internet users, making it the world’s fastest-growing internet market (Economic Diplomacy Division, 2023). Google’s partnership with Jio aimed to support Reliance’s technological ambitions, including endeavours such as smart homes, solutions akin to Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa voice assistant, connected cars and security systems (Firstpost, 2020). Following the transaction, Google would secure a seat on Jio Platforms’ board, joining Facebook (Tech Research Online, 2022).

Jio’s objective was to develop an affordable ‘4G or even 5G smartphone’ tailored for the Indian market. This deal had the potential to bring tens of millions of Indians online for the first time (Papatla, 2021). The collaboration between Jio and Google would focus on creating an Android-based operating system for this new device, promising significant benefits for both partners (as depicted in Exhibit 5) (Pichai, 2021). This effort was expected to unlock fresh opportunities, bolster the ecosystem of applications and stimulate innovation to drive growth in the emerging Indian economy (TechCrunch, 2020).

From Google’s perspective, this investment was seen as a means to reduce regulatory burdens on its portfolio firms in India (TechCrunch, 2020). Prominent tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent were already major investors in some of the country’s most valuable startups (Li, 2022). The deal allowed Google to effectively compete and safeguard its interests in the app domain (Financial Express, 2020). Notably, the Jio–Google alliance also contributed to Jio’s ambition of becoming a debt-free organization by 2021 (PTI, 2020b).

Digital Landscape of India

As per the Reserve Bank of India, the nation’s central bank, it was anticipated that by 2025, there would be approximately 1.5 billion digital transactions conducted daily in India, amounting to around ₹15 trillion. Up until March 2020, the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) had already been facilitating an average of around 125 million transactions daily (Business Today, 2021).

Since 2006, India had become a magnet for substantial investments from global tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Twitter. This influx of investment was propelled by the internet boom and a concerted effort by the government to promote digitization (Disis, 2020).

Furthermore, various Indian industries and service sectors had embraced the IoT, enhancing connectivity and data-driven solutions. In 2018, the digital market in India was valued at $24.5 billion, with expectations of a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 74.5% from 2019 to 2024.

This increased adoption of digital technologies in India was poised to bring about transformative changes in sectors like banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), healthcare, e-commerce and government operations. It was expected to boost productivity and enhance customer service, as highlighted in Exhibit 6 (P&S Intelligence, 2019).

The Opportunity

Two years after introducing the lucrative offer of free calls and 1 GB of data per day, Jio unveiled the Jio phone—an Android handset priced at $20, equipped with built-in Google apps like YouTube and Google Maps, and accompanied by free mobile plans (Walt, 2020). Earlier, Jio had rolled out its 4G phones powered by KaiOS, developed by Hong Kong–based KaiOS Technologies. Initially successful in the first quarter of 2018, it later faced a decline in market share as shipments waned (Sharma, 2020).

With a customer base of 100 million users, many of whom were first-time internet users, Jio ranked fifth in the market, following Lava, Samsung, Nokia and Micromax (as shown in Exhibit 7) (Business Today, n.d.). The introduction of an entry-level smartphone from Jio, loaded with Google apps, promised to disrupt the smartphone market, attracting more and more first-time users with its cost-effective offerings (Taneja, 2021).

In India, the economically disadvantaged population often preferred phones with extended battery life, user-friendly smart features and simplicity in operation. Reliance Jio set out to capture a subscriber base comprising first-time users and customers who had switched from competitors like Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel (Mint, 2020a). They accomplished this by offering an entry-level smartphone along with enticing call and data packages.

With an ambitious plan to target the 350 million Indians still using basic, non-touch phones, Jio and Google’s Android team explored opportunities to bundle substantial video and music libraries with apps catering to health, communication and job opportunities. This strategy aimed to attract and serve the needs of these first-time smartphone owners (Communications Today, 2020).

5G the Upcoming Digital Opportunity

According to telecom experts, the global adoption of 5G technology by 2035 held the potential to positively transform various industries, resulting in the creation of goods and services valued at approximately $12 trillion. However, realizing this immense potential would require investments exceeding $3.5 trillion between 2020 and 2035 (Electronicsb2b, 2020). India had already emerged as the world’s largest data consumer, with an average monthly usage of nearly 11 GB per user. The advent of 5G technology, with its enhanced data speed, promised to open up numerous opportunities for India to connect with global markets and offer service providers the chance to boost their revenues (Mehta, 2021).

The successful deployment of 5G hinged on key factors such as sustainable spectrum pricing and a stable policy and regulatory landscape. A wide array of industries, including commercial establishments, education, healthcare, agriculture, media and entertainment, and finance sectors, were set to reap substantial benefits from the introduction of high-speed, uninterrupted 5G networks that enabled innovative business models (Singhal, 2022).

Moreover, 5G technology aimed to address shortcomings of the existing 4G LTE technology, such as poor mobility speed, high latency, insufficient infrastructure and the capital-intensive nature of deployment (Research and Markets, 2020). By delivering high-speed data and enhancing user mobility and overall experience, 5G would play a crucial role in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, where it would facilitate high-speed data transfer for applications such as agricultural drones, smart irrigation, precision farming, soil monitoring and livestock management (Jain, 2023).

The ultra-low latency provided by 5G networks would catalyze the growth of emerging technologies like the IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), VR, AR, machine-to-machine learning and blockchain. These technologies, in turn, would create new opportunities and enhance established high-speed broadband networks. By driving the expansion of novel business operations and applications, 5G would become a platform for telecom operators to generate additional revenue (Qualcomm, n.d.).

Challenges of 5G Communication

The substantial cost associated with high-end smartphone handsets, typically priced at ₹40,000 and above, stood as the primary impediment to the widespread adoption of 5G technology. This financial barrier had the potential to limit the uptake of 5G. The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on manufacturing and supply chains compelled a shift in focus towards expanding existing network capacities to support online education and remote work for many organizations. The financial constraints faced by most telecom companies, compounded by the need to comply with multiple regulations, also contributed to the delay in implementing 5G (Electronicsb2b, 2020).

In India, the full-fledged trials and allocation of 5G spectrum remained pending, further delaying the rollout of this technology (Gill, 2019). The deployment of 5G would entail the resolution of various technological and operational challenges, with one of the most significant being the need for operators to substantially increase fiberization, ideally to around 80%, when the current rate stood at merely 20–25%. Moreover, the network infrastructure would require upgrades at each site, necessitating the virtualization of the core and access components with the addition of an entirely new orchestration layer, essential for achieving the critical feature of 5G network slicing (ET Contributors, 2020).

Smartphone Market in India

In the third quarter of 2020, the Indian smartphone market demonstrated substantial growth, with a reported 17% increase compared to the same period in 2019, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). Xiaomi led the way with a 7.1% year-on-year growth and the highest smartphone shipments to India. Samsung followed closely, securing the second position in terms of smartphone shipments to India and achieving a remarkable 38.1% growth. This growth was attributed to fewer government restrictions and competitive pricing strategies tailored to the Indian market (Washington, 2020).

IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker highlighted that the four major Chinese brands, namely Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme, collectively held a dominant market share of 69%. Xiaomi, the leading brand among these Chinese players, claimed a market share of 27 per cent. Samsung, while not of Chinese origin, ranked among the top five smartphone brands in India and captured a 20 per cent market share (Chadda, 2021). Vivo secured the third position with an 18 per cent market share, Realme followed with 13 per cent and Oppo rounded out the top five with an 11 per cent market share (Counterpoint, 2023).

India boasted approximately 1.2 billion mobile users in 2021, of which 750 million were smartphone subscribers. Projections suggested that India would reach 1 billion smartphone users by 2026 and become the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer. A significant driver of this growth was expected to be the replacement of basic mobile phones with smartphones in rural areas of India by 2026 (PTI, 2022).

Demand for 5G-enabled Smartphones

In 2020, Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) shipped over 3 million 5G-enabled smartphones to India, offering aggressive pricing to gain market share. However, the adoption of these 5G smartphones was slower due to their high prices and the anticipated delay in the rollout of the 5G network, expected to occur in late 2021 or early 2022 (Singal, 2021). It was expected that the average selling price (ASP) of 5G devices would increase as more such devices became available in the market.

Upasana Joshi, associate research manager at the IDC, noted that since 5G was perceived more as a novelty than a necessity in India, an increasing number of vendors were willing to launch 5G devices at various price points and implement aggressive promotional strategies to attract consumers (Singal, 2021).

What Is Next

Jio had proven its prowess by establishing an impressive infrastructure, and this strategy by Reliance garnered an enthusiastic response from the public. However, sustaining this success story would pose challenges due to intensifying competition. Much would depend on having robust software solutions to complement the formidable mobile hardware. Despite offering a wide range of apps, spanning education, retail, music and video streaming, none of these emerged as a breakout success for Reliance Jio (Kant, 2021).

Google was banking on its partnership with Reliance Jio to connect with millions of Indian subscribers through Android smartphones (Ghosh, 2020). Intel and Qualcomm had also thrown their support behind Reliance Jio, further enhancing the competitiveness of the Jio platform. Jio had sought cooperation from the telecom department to secure spectrum in specific frequencies for conducting 5G trials in India (ET Telecom, 2020).

As 5G technology neared readiness to revolutionize the business landscape, the future appeared promising for Indian consumers and businesses. In a highly consumer-centric and fiercely competitive market, characterized by ‘red oceans’ of competition, Reliance Jio managed to stay ahead by adhering to a ‘blue ocean’ strategy, and this success was anticipated to continue into the future.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Appendix

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