en.Wedoany.com Reported - India's largest telecom operator, Jio Platforms, is evaluating the possibility of developing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications for India.
Akash Ambani, Managing Director of Jio Platforms and Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, stated at Reliance Industries' recent shareholder meeting that Jio has connected India on the ground and must now connect India from the sky. Through this initiative, Jio is strengthening India's self-reliance (Atma Nirbharta) in the space sector, positioning India on the global satellite broadband services map.
Atma Nirbharta (or Atmanirbhar Bharat) is a Hindi phrase promoted by Narendra Modi and his political circle, meaning "self-reliant India," directly aligning with global sovereignty trends. While Atmanirbhar is closely tied to economy and security, a significant part of the discussion revolves around indigenous digital resources and connectivity infrastructure.
Jio Platforms leads the Indian market with 524 million users, including a total of 268 million 5G users, making it the largest single-country 5G operator outside China. The company plans to migrate all its users to 5G by 2030, while also driving India's leadership in 6G standards.
Industry executives have long regarded the South Asian subcontinent as a key growth region for connectivity technologies such as satellites. Many tech giants adapt to the post-independence obsession with sovereignty by emphasizing their ability to transfer full control of products to host countries.
The company plans to lease satellite capacity in collaboration with constellation operators to enhance its services, while also building long-term sovereign capabilities and ground station infrastructure for India. Although the company is actively discussing with multiple satellite technology firms capable of building an Indian constellation, some reports suggest that Reliance is also considering acquiring an already operational satellite company. No timeline or investment figures have been finalized, but Jio has indicated a two-to-four-year window to integrate LEO satellites into its network.
In 2025, SpaceX announced agreements with Jio and its main competitor, Bharti Airtel, to bring Starlink to India, though related efforts are still ongoing. Last week, Bloomberg reported that India had effectively frozen approvals for Starlink, but Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Business Operations at SpaceX, disputed this in a post on X. She stated that to comply with India's sovereign technology, regulatory, and security requirements, Starlink has developed a customized deployment model for India, further demonstrating its commitment to working within India's strategic framework, and that only positive feedback has been heard regarding Starlink's capabilities and its potential to advance India's connectivity ambitions.
In April this year, after the Thai government refused to approve Starlink's service provision in Thailand for 2025, Thaicom signed an agreement with Amazon Leo.
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