India on the cusp of a digital revolution: Mukesh Ambani

Mumbai: Ahead of his company's much-awaited 4G services launch, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani Tuesday said the country is on the verge of a digital revolution where every village will be connected with an optic fibre cable thus making it a strong knowledge economy.

"Today, our country stands on the verge of a digital revolution," Ambani said while launching the autobiography of technocrat Sam Pitroda here.

Ambani, the 39th richest person in the world according to Forbes and the richest in the country, said very soon the country will cross the 1-billion mobile connections-mark and the optic fibre cable network will reach every village.

Stating that this can make the country into a knowledge economy, Ambani said the country will not only be a "networked society", but also a "smart society".

Ambani's comments come amid a high-octane campaign by the Modi government titled 'Digital India' under which it is trying to leverage the country's prowess for social good.

Ambani complimented Pitroda, widely considered as the pioneer of the telecom revolution that preceded the launch of mobile telephony in the country, for the book titled 'Dreaming Big', saying it will set the imagination of the youth and inspire all to make an attempt.

He said the future is digital and the seeds were sown through Pitroda's work in ushering the telecom revolution, which connected the far-flung areas with fixed line phones and also making calls cheaper.

Showering Pitroda with high praise, Ambani credited his "friend, philosopher and guide" and "daring dreamer" to be a "pioneer" of telecom revolution. "He saw the future and had a hand in creating it," Ambani said.

Recounting his 30-year-old association with Pitroda, Ambani also made a rare comment on his personal preferences in matters concerning looks. "Being in the chemicals industry, I still use the (hair) dye," Ambani, a trained chemical engineer himself, said.