India’s largest telecom operator, Jio Platforms, is evaluating the development of Indian low-orbit satellite communications.
“Jio [has] connected India on the ground. Now we must connect India from the skies,” said Akash Ambani, the managing director of Jio Platforms and chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, while speaking at Reliance Industries’ recent AGM. “With this initiative, Jio is strengthening India’s Atma Nirbharta in space, placing the country firmly on the global satellite broadband services map. All these initiatives show that the best of Jio is yet to come.”
Atma Nirbharta, or Atmanirbhar Bharat, is a Hindi phrase popularised by Narendra Modi and the political sphere around him, which means “self-reliant India,” cleanly equating to the global sovereignty trend. While Atmanirbhar has much to do with economics and national security, a big part of the conversation surrounds homegrown digital resources and connectivity infrastructure.
Jio Platforms leads the market in India with 524 million subscribers, including a 5G user base totaling 268m, making it the largest single-country 5G operator that isn’t China. The company intends to migrate all its subscribers to 5G by 2030, while simultaneously “advancing India’s leadership position in 6G standards.”
The company intends to partner with constellation operators to lease satellite capacity to enhance that offering, but is also in the process of building long-term sovereign capability and ground station infrastructure for India.
The South Asian subcontinent has long been spoken of as a key growth region for connectivity technologies, such as satellites, by industry executives. Many tech giants have sought to adapt to the post-liberation day obsession with sovereignty by emphasising the capacity to devolve full control of their products to a host nation.
While the company has been in active discussions with multiple satellite tech companies that could build an Indian constellation, some reports indicate Reliance considers acquiring a satellite company that is already operating in orbit “on the table.”
No timelines or investment figures have been finalized yet, but Jio suggests a “two-to-four year window” to bring LEO satellites into its network.
In 2025, SpaceX announced deals with Jio as well as its foremost rival, Bharti Airtel, to bring Starlink to India, though efforts remain ongoing.
Last week, Bloomberg reported India had “effectively frozen approvals” for Starlink, a point that was disputed by Lauren Dreyer, vice president of the company’s business operations at SpaceX, in a post on X.
“To align with India’s sovereign technology, regulatory, and security requirements, Starlink has set up a bespoke deployment model for India that further demonstrates our commitment to working within India’s strategic framework,” she said. “We have heard nothing but encouraging feedback on Starlink’s capabilities and its potential to advance India’s connectivity ambitions.”
In April this year, Thaicom signed deals with Amazon Leo after its government rejected permission for Starlink to launch services in Thailand in 2025.