Reliance Jio eyes India's own satellite broadband network

Reliance Jio is evaluating the development of a sovereign low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India as it looks to expand connectivity to remote parts of the country, Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani said at Reliance Industries' 49th annual general meeting on Friday.

"Jio is evaluating the development of a sovereign low Earth orbit satellite constellation for India," Ambani said, outlining the company's plans to extend broadband access beyond the reach of terrestrial telecom networks.

The announcement comes a day after ET reported that Reliance Jio was planning a constellation of around 1,600-1,650 LEO satellites to offer broadband and direct-to-device services, potentially becoming the first Indian company to build a large-scale satellite network in the segment.


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Ambani said satellite communications would play a critical role in connecting India's remotest villages, island communities and border outposts where traditional telecom infrastructure cannot easily reach.

"For them, satellite connectivity will be the bridge to the rest of India," he said.

Alongside its own satellite plans, Jio is also partnering with leading global satellite constellation operators to accelerate the rollout of services while it builds domestic capabilities.

"We are also partnering with the leading global constellation providers so that we can accelerate service availability while building our own sovereign capability," Ambani said.

He said the dual strategy would allow Jio to address India's connectivity requirements more quickly while creating the foundation for an Indian satellite broadband platform with global scale.

To support these ambitions, Jio is also building ground station infrastructure in India. According to Ambani, the facilities will support both partner constellations and any future satellites launched by the company, helping create an end-to-end satellite broadband ecosystem spanning both space and terrestrial infrastructure.

According to bureau sources, Jio has submitted a proposal to space regulator IN-SPACe for a constellation that would operate at an altitude of about 650 kilometres and offer broadband as well as direct-to-device connectivity services. The network is expected to be deployed over the next two to three years.

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If executed at the proposed scale, the project would make Reliance the first Indian company to build a large LEO constellation, entering a segment currently dominated by Elon Musk's Starlink, which has about 10,000 satellites in orbit. Amazon's Project Kuiper is also building a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites, while Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti Group, operates a network of around 650 satellites.

The move comes amid growing efforts by governments worldwide to reduce dependence on foreign-owned communications infrastructure, particularly in strategically sensitive sectors such as satellite connectivity. People aware of the matter had told ET that the government is willing to support Indian entities entering the segment, including through International Telecommunication Union (ITU) filings required to secure orbital resources.