After telecom, Mukesh Ambani now targets online retail with a price war

Ratcheting up competition, Ambani's portals are offering blockbuster discounts of as much as 50% on sugary confections and other holiday staples like spice mixes for India's rice delicacy, biryani

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani obliterated rivals in India’s telecommunications sector by selling $2 data plans and free voice calls. Four years later, he’s deploying a very similar tactic -- cutthroat pricing -- to gain an edge in the country’s increasingly competitive e-commerce space.

As India this week hits the peak of its biggest shopping season, the festival of Diwali, the tycoon’s retail websites -- including JioMart -- are elbowing their way into a space long dominated by Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc.’s local unit Flipkart Online Services Pvt.

Ratcheting up competition, Ambani’s portals are offering blockbuster discounts of as much as 50% on