Akash Ambani, Chairman of Jio Platforms (part of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries), announced on June 19 at the 49th Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries that Jio is evaluating a plan to build its own Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The goal is to establish sovereign communication capabilities that cover rural areas, islands, and border regions not reachable by terrestrial networks. According to earlier reports by the Economic Times, Jio plans to launch approximately 1,600 satellites into orbit at an altitude of around 650 km, a proposal currently under review by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). Akash Ambani revealed the company is simultaneously pursuing a transitional strategy of “leasing satellite capacity from global operators” to accelerate service availability while building its own constellation over the long term. Jio also announced it is considering introducing a strategic path for shareholder participation, which outside observers see as a precursor to an IPO.
This strategic shift has deep context. Although Starlink received a commercial operating license from India’s Department of Telecommunications in early June, it still must pass security tests and meet data localization requirements before full commercial rollout can occur. The case of Starlink remotely cutting off access during the Russia-Ukraine war has led the Indian government to treat the development of a sovereign communications layer as a matter of national security. Jio’s previous policy stance has also been telling: in 2024, it lobbied TRAI to allocate satellite spectrum through auctions (rather than administrative assignment) to raise the entry cost for foreign operators like Starlink, a move later rejected by the government. In March 2025, Jio instead struck a retail agreement with SpaceX to sell Starlink equipment, turning a former rival into an ally. Now, with the announcement of its own constellation, Jio has finally chosen to face off directly against Starlink and Amazon Kuiper as a full-fledged competitor rather than as a channel partner.