Jio Mulls Developing Sovereign LEO Satellite Constellation

IPO-bound telecom major Jio Platforms is evaluating the development of a sovereign low earth orbit satellite constellation for India.

During RIL’s 49th annual general meeting, Jio Platforms’ managing director Akash Ambani further noted that the telecom major can potentially partner with “leading global constellation providers” by leasing satellite capacity to accelerate service availability while it builds out its own satellite capabilities.

This will allow Jio to extend its telecom network to rural villages, especially those in hilly and mountainous regions, island geographies, and border outposts. Through expanding its satellite capabilities, the company hopes to lay the groundwork for building a satellite broadband network of global scale.

For this, Jio will also build ground stations in the country to support its partner constellations and its own future satellites and create an end-to-end satellite broadband network.

As per a report by ET, Jio is said to be planning setting up a constellation of around 1,600-1,650 LEO satellites to offer broadband and direct-to-device services.

Addressing The Compute Gap

Along with introducing Jio’s LEO ambition, the management also doubled down on its recently launched AI arm Reliance Intelligence during the AGM.

The company claims to be building “one of the largest” AI-infrastructure platforms in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, which will be powered completely by its clean energy plants harnessing solar energy in the state’s Kutch region. As per the Ambani, 120 MW of clean energy will be commissioned for the project by the end of 2026.

Reliance Intelligence is also expected to deliver sovereign AI hosting within India, model transparency and portability for Indian enterprises. The company intends to leverage its partnership with Meta by utilising Llama open source AI for enterprise deployments.

The company is also building multi-lingual AI capabilities to launch platforms such as AI-companion JioBharat IQ, small-business intelligence platform AI Vyapar, healthcare support platform JioHealth IQ, multi-lingual edtech platform JioLearn IQ, and farming intelligence platform JioKrishi IQ.

The development comes as Jio Platforms is aiming to file its draft papers for an up to $4 Bn IPO through the fresh issue of up to 27 Cr equity shares with a face value of ₹10 each.

(The story will be updated shortly)

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