Jio to step up satellite communications game with indigenous constellation: Akash Ambani

After taking the lead in the telecom services segment on the ground, IPO-bound Jio is now looking to step up its game in connectivity from the skies with indigenous communications satellites, Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani said on Friday.

At present, the satellite communications segment is dominated by foreign companies like Elon Musk-led Starlink and French service provider Eutelsat.

"Jio connected India on the ground. Now, we must connect India from the skies. There are still remotest villages, island communities, and border outposts where the Jio network cannot reach. For them, satellite connectivity will be the bridge to the rest of India. Jio is evaluating the development of a sovereign Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation for India," Ambani said.

While speaking at the 49th Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Limited, he said Jio is also partnering with a global constellation for leasing satellite capacity.

"We are also partnering with the leading global constellation providers by leasing satellite capacity, so that we can accelerate service availability while building our own long-term sovereign capability. This dual approach will enable Jio to meet India's connectivity needs faster, while laying the foundation for the Indian satellite broadband platform of global scale," Ambani said.

He said Jio is also building its own ground station infrastructure in India that will support the company's partner constellations, as well as its own future satellites, creating an end-to-end satellite broadband ecosystem from space to ground.

"With this initiative, Jio is strengthening India's Atmanirbharta in space, placing India firmly on the global satellite broadband services map. All these initiatives show that the best of Jio is yet to come," Ambani said.

Jio leads the Indian market with 524 million subscribers, dominated by its telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Ambani said Jio's 5G subscriber base has crossed 268 million, which makes it the largest for any single-country operator outside China, with 77 million net additions during the year.

He said in the next chapter of Jio's growth story, the company will aim to make JioTrue5G the foundation of India's next big digital leap.

"Our dedicated network slicing will enable a new tier of high-performance connectivity for consumers and enterprises. Our cyclic beam-formed cell design significantly enhances coverage and capacity at high-footfall locations. Our target is to migrate all subscribers to 5G by 2030 while advancing India's leadership position in 6G standards," Ambani said.