Reliance Jio announced plans to evaluate a sovereign Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation for India, alongside building domestic ground stations. Akash Ambani said the move will extend connectivity to remote villages, islands and border areas. The company will also lease global satellite capacity initially while developing long-term in-house infrastructure for space-based broadband services.

In a disruptive move, Jio Platforms is evaluating the development of a sovereign Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India, while simultaneously building its own ground station infrastructure in the country, managing director Akash Ambani announced at the 49th Annual General Meeting today.

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The move signals Jio's intent to extend its connectivity ambitions beyond terrestrial networks and into space, targeting the parts of India that remain out of reach of fibre, 5G towers, and even fixed wireless broadband. Announcing the initiative, Ambani said, "There is one more frontier I would like to mention: Satellite Communications. 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."

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