NEW DELHI: In a move that could put it in direct competition with Elon Musk-led Starlink and other global satellite internet providers, Reliance Jio on Friday announced plans to enter the satellite communications sector by developing a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India.
Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, while speaking at Reliance Industries' 49th Annual General Meeting (AGM), said the company is evaluating the development of its own LEO satellite constellation and will also partner with leading global satellite operators. The announcement is significant as Jio is already India's largest telecom operator and one of the world's largest mobile service providers by subscriber base.
“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,” said Akash ambani.
Jio is also setting up its own ground stations in India, which will act as links between satellites in space and users on the ground. These stations will support both satellite networks operated by Jio's global partners and any future satellites launched by Jio itself.
LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites operate much closer to the Earth, usually between 160 km and 2,000 km above the surface. Because they are closer, they can provide faster internet speeds and lower delays than traditional communication satellites, making them ideal for broadband services.
Starlink currently leads the global satellite broadband market as Industry reports suggest the company has around 10,634 active satellites in orbit and serves nearly 12 million customers worldwide. Amazon's satellite broadband project, Project Kuiper, has around 367 satellites in orbit, while Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb operates about 654 satellites.
Jio Platforms has already partnered with Luxembourg-based SES to offer satellite broadband services in India. However, SES mainly operates geostationary and medium Earth orbit satellites and does not currently have a LEO satellite network.
Apart from satellite communications, Jio also reiterated its long-term goal of migrating its entire subscriber base to 5G by 2030.
Another major announcement was the launch of "Jio Call Agent", an AI-powered assistant that works directly during phone calls. Unlike AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Siri, which require users to open an app, Jio's assistant can be activated simply by saying "Hey Jio" during a call.
The AI assistant can convert conversations into text in real time, identify different speakers, prepare call summaries and action points, and even help users perform tasks such as booking cabs, ordering food or scheduling meetings.
Jio also shared its plans to earn more revenue from its 5G network. Akash Ambani said future growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) will come from premium 5G services, AI-powered offerings and solutions for businesses.
As part of this strategy, Jio plans to introduce network slicing, a key feature of 5G technology. In simple terms, network slicing allows telecom operators to create separate sections of their network for different users and services. For example, businesses can get a dedicated high-speed network, while gamers or industrial users can receive network performance tailored to their specific needs.
The technology is expected to help Jio offer specialised services to businesses and enterprise customers, creating new revenue opportunities beyond traditional voice and data services.