On December 17, 2025, reports came out about a big change in India’s telecom world. Big telecom companies are moving away from just building more networks. They are now putting money into AI data centers and cloud systems. This is a huge plan.

Experts say Indian telecom operators will invest more than ₹1 lakh crore in the next two to three years. This money will go into AI data centers, edge infrastructure, and cloud functions. The goal is to grow their business revenue a lot.

Right now, most money comes from regular phone and internet services. But companies want to change that. They aim to make enterprise revenue – money from business services – reach 30 to 40 percent of total revenue. This includes things like cybersecurity, cloud computing, Internet of Things platforms, and AI solutions.

Aditya Khaitan is a partner at Deloitte India. He told The Economic Times that by financial year 2027, 20 to 30 percent of investment budgets will shift to these new areas. He said this change will be bigger for the top two telecom companies. These companies have already finished their big 5G investments.

The top players are Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. They are leading this shift. Shilpa Malaiya Singhai is the managing director at Alvarez & Marsal India. She said more than ₹1 lakh crore is already committed for AI-focused data centers.She added that India’s two major telecom operators have big plans. They are investing in gigawatt-scale AI data centers. This could add 4 to 5 gigawatts to the country’s digital setup. That is a very large increase.

 

For example, Bharti Airtel made news in late 2024. They plan to invest about ₹5,000 crore to grow their Nxtra data centers. The capacity will go from 240 megawatts to 400 megawatts. Nxtra is Airtel’s data center business.Airtel is also working with Google. They have a partnership for an AI  hub in Visakhapatnam. This hub could be around 1 gigawatt.

On the other side, Reliance Jio has big ideas too. They are planning a  AI data center in Jamnagar. It could be about 3 gigawatts. Jio wants to build a full AI system. They will connect data centers to their larger AI setup.Singhai explained the difference. Jio is going for a complete AI data centers approach. They want to make money from the whole platform. Airtel is growing its Nxtra centers. They are adding more cloud and AI services for businesses.

This shift makes sense now. India’s 5G rollout is mostly done. The main phase is over. So, companies do not need to spend as much on new towers and coverage.Amardeep Sharma is the chief technology officer at Praruh Technologies. He called this a move from “connectivity-centric” to “compute and data-centric” infrastructure. Telecom spending is clearly changing. It is going toward AI, cloud, and  AI data centers.There are more benefits. Using AI can cut costs. Singhai said AI tools will help reduce operational expenses. Benefits could start in the next 18 to 24 months.

 

Currently, enterprise revenue is only 15 to 30 percent for these companies. But with new services beyond basic connectivity, it can grow fast.Businesses need more digital tools now. AI is everywhere. Cloud storage is important. IoT connects many devices. Cybersecurity is a must. Telecom companies can provide all this. According to massive plans of AI data centers.

They have big networks already. They can use that advantage. Their fiber lines and 5G can support fast data transfer. This helps in running AI smoothly.India’s digital growth is fast. More people are online. Data use is rising. AI needs strong backend support. Data centers store and process huge information.

This investment will help India become stronger in tech. It can create jobs. It can attract more global companies.The top telecom giants are ready to lead. They want to dominate in AI and cloud. This ₹1 lakh crore plan is just the start.

 

Experts believe this will change the telecom industry forever. From simple calls and internet, to smart AI services. Revenue will grow. Costs will come down. Customers will get better options. This AI data centers plans make massive change in AI world .

Airtel and Jio are the main players. But others may follow. The whole sector is excited.This news shows how India is preparing for the future. AI data centers will power new innovations. Telecom companies are at the center of it.

In the coming years, we will see more changes. More data centers will come up. More AI tools will launch. Enterprise businesses will benefit a lot.This big investment is good news for India’s economy. It will boost digital services. It will make the country ready for advanced tech.The shift started recently. But it will have long effects. Telecom bahubalis are planning big. They want to create khalbali in AI world.