Reliance Industries Ltd will start providing fourth-generation (4G) telecommunication services next year, Reuters reports, quoting Mukesh Ambani, its chairman and India\'s richest man, and noting that this move will make the competition in an already crowded market even more intense.

Reliance acquired the only company to win national 4G airwaves in a government auction, in 2010, but has yet to start services since it is building the business on an unproven, still-developing technology.

On Wednesday, Ambani told shareholders that Reliance is planning to put 700 billion rupees ($11.7 billion) into the telecoms business, Reliance Jio, and will begin services across India, in phases, in 2015. It aims to offer high-speed data, as well as voice, services and has added more airwaves from an auction this year.

Ambani told the shareholders, "The objective is to ensure that everything we offer is future-proof and world-class. Limited field trials are already underway with our initial set of services for the broad band services."