en.Wedoany.com Reported - Reliance Jio plans to develop and launch a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation of 1,600 to 1,650 satellites over the next two to three years, deployed at an altitude of approximately 650 kilometers, to provide broadband and direct-to-device services. The telecom company, led by Mukesh Ambani, has submitted a proposal to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), which is currently evaluating the constellation's configuration and technical architecture.

This move marks the first attempt by an Indian entity to enter the near-Earth orbit domain dominated by Elon Musk's Starlink, which has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit. Amid growing national security concerns, countries are seeking to reduce reliance on foreign satellite operators. A government official familiar with the matter revealed that the government will support Jio in filing orbital slot applications with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and will also back other Indian entities entering this strategic sector.

Building a satellite constellation of this scale is expected to require an investment of $10 billion to $15 billion and could generate several terabits of capacity. The satellite communications division will fall under Jio Platforms, developing in parallel with the company's other digital assets. Jio Platforms plans to conduct its initial public offering in the coming days.

Among the key competitors in the LEO sector, Jeff Bezos' Amazon Leo is deploying approximately 3,200 satellites, with over 300 already in orbit; while Eutelsat OneWeb, in which Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Group holds a stake, has about 654 satellites in orbit. Additionally, Jio has formed a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES, though SES operates geostationary Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit satellites and has not ventured into the LEO domain.

Reliance Jio's push to build its own satellite constellation comes amid debates in countries such as the United States over restrictions on the latest technologies, including Artificial Intelligence. Due to national security concerns, foreign satellite communication operators, such as Starlink, are facing increasingly stringent scrutiny.

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