Jio plans 1600 satellites for India as Elon Musk's Starlink waits for launch approval

Reliance Jio is reparing to take its connectivity network beyond mobile towers and fibre cables, with the company proposing a constellation of around 1,600 satellites and 23 ground stations across India. The plan comes at a time when Elon Musk’s Starlink is still waiting for the remaining approvals needed to begin commercial satellite internet services in the country. Jio showcased its satellite connectivity plans at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday. The company is pitching the project as “Sovereign Satellite Connectivity”, with an aim to use satellites alongside its existing terrestrial network to reach parts of India where conventional telecom infrastructure is difficult to build.The proposed network would consist of about 1,600 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Jio also plans to set up 23 ground stations that would connect the satellite system with infrastructure on the ground. The company says the larger goal is to provide connectivity across land and maritime areas, including more than 600,000 villages. Remote villages, islands and border locations are among the places Jio expects satellite connectivity to be useful.Jio wants satellite and terrestrial networks to work togetherRather than treating its satellite network as a separate connectivity system, Jio plans to combine it with its existing mobile and fibre infrastructure. The proposed network could be used for enterprises and remote locations, as well as aviation, maritime operations, government, defence and disaster response. Jio has also included direct-to-device calling for rural areas in its vision.The company says it wants the complete satellite value chain to remain within India, covering areas such as design, engineering, integration, testing, launch, deployment and operations. For Jio, satellites could help extend its network into locations where laying fibre or building towers is difficult or commercially challenging. The proposal also fits with the theme of this year's IMC, “Scale Without Boundaries”. Jio’s announcement comes as Starlink continues to wait for the regulatory process in India to be completed. Musk has been publicly pushing for Starlink’s India launch. On X, he recently accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking the company 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 that 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 still needs to complete the remaining regulatory requirements before commercial operations can begin. Spectrum assignment is also part of the process.Meanwhile, Starlink has been building its India infrastructure. SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer said at IMC that the company had established 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas in the country and had created India-specific security controls to keep Indian user data within India.Jio and Starlink are therefore approaching India's satellite connectivity opportunity from two different positions. Starlink is trying to complete its entry into the market, while Jio is putting forward a much larger long-term plan of its own.- Ends