Jio plans 1,600 satellites as Starlink waits for India launch approval
Reliance Jio is going past towers and fibre cables with a big plan to create a satellite network for India. The company is suggesting about 1,600 Earth Orbit satellites and 23 ground stations as part of its larger plans for better connectivity. Reliance Jio is going past towers and fibre cables with a big plan to create a satellite network for India. The company is suggesting about 1,600 Earth Orbit satellites and 23 ground stations as part of its larger plans, for better connectivity.
Jio presented the proposal at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday. The company is calling the project “Sovereign Satellite Connectivity”. The idea is to use satellites along with Jio’s existing mobile and fibre networks to reach places where traditional telecom infrastructure is difficult or costly to build.
According to the plan, the satellite network could provide coverage across land and maritime areas, including more than 600,000 villages. Remote villages, islands and border regions are among the areas where Jio sees a potential role for satellite-based connectivity.
Satellites to work alongside Jio’s existing network
Jio does not appear to be treating satellite connectivity as a replacement for its current network. Instead, the company wants the two systems to work together.
The proposed service could be used by businesses in remote locations, as well as the aviation and maritime sectors. Government agencies, defence operations and disaster response could also benefit from the network. Jio has further included direct-to-device calling for rural areas in its plans.
The company also wants the satellite ecosystem to be developed within India. Its proposal covers everything from design and engineering to testing, launch, deployment and operations.
The announcement comes as Elon Musk’s Starlink continues to wait for the remaining approvals required to begin commercial services in India.
Musk has openly criticised the delay. On X, he recently accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink to protect their market position. He also said Starlink would provide high-speed and affordable internet to people who currently lack connectivity or cannot afford existing services.
The Indian government has rejected the allegation of discrimination. The Ministry of Communications said the country follows a “fair and non-discriminatory” authorisation process for telecom services, including satellite communications.
The government has also said Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb are broadly at the same stage of the regulatory process. Security assessments for all three companies are currently under way.
Starlink has already received its GMPCS licence and IN-SPACe authorisation, but it still has to complete the remaining regulatory requirements before it can start commercial operations. Spectrum assignment is also part of the process.
At the same time, Starlink has been preparing its infrastructure in India. SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer said at IMC that the company had established 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas in the country. Starlink has also created India-specific security controls to keep Indian user data within India.
The two companies are now taking different approaches to the same opportunity. Starlink is working towards getting its commercial launch over the line, while Jio is laying out a much larger satellite connectivity plan for the years ahead.