Reliance Jio Evaluating Sovereign LEO Network for India

A report in India’s Economic Times has suggested that Reliance Jio is evaluating plans to build a sovereign low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India, as it looks to extend broadband and direct-to-device connectivity beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.

Speaking at Reliance Industries’ 49th annual general meeting, Jio Chairman Akash Ambani said satellite communications would be critical for connecting India’s remotest villages, island communities and border outposts. The company is positioning satellite as a complement to its terrestrial network, particularly in areas where traditional telecom infrastructure is difficult or uneconomical to deploy.

The proposed constellation could include around 1,600–1,650 LEO satellites, operating at an altitude of roughly 650 kilometres, and would support both broadband and direct-to-device services. Jio is understood to have submitted a proposal to Indian space regulator IN-SPACe, with deployment potentially taking place over the next two to three years.

Alongside its own constellation plans, Jio is also working with global satellite operators to accelerate service availability while it develops domestic capabilities. The dual-track approach would allow the company to serve connectivity gaps in the near term while building the foundations for an Indian satellite broadband platform at scale.

Jio is also developing ground station infrastructure in India to support both partner constellations and any future satellites it launches. This would create a more integrated satellite broadband ecosystem spanning space assets, ground systems and terrestrial telecom infrastructure.

If delivered at the proposed scale, Reliance Jio would become the first Indian company to build a large LEO constellation, entering a market currently led by Starlink and also targeted by Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Eutelsat OneWeb.