Reliance Jio has finalized its roadmap for a sovereign low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network of 1,600 satellites. This marks a shift from reliance on foreign partner networks to creating a sovereign aerospace infrastructure. A test flight is scheduled for September 2027, with mass deployments commencing in early 2028, targeting 400 to 450 satellites in orbit by 2030 and full network completion by 2035.
The company has filed an application with the International Telecommunication Union to secure orbital slots.
“Around 90-100 minimum coverage satellites are planned to be sent in two-three quarters after the test launch, which means India can start getting satellite connectivity in 2028,” the report quoted a source as saying.
The development comes two months after Jio announced that it was considering building a sovereign LEO satellite constellation as part of a broader push into satellite connectivity.
The satellite network is expected to initially focus on India, particularly underserved regions, before expanding globally. Jio plans to use high-throughput satellites to provide broadband connectivity in areas where terrestrial networks are difficult to deploy.
Jio’s satellites are expected to operate at an altitude of around 650 kilometres and offer throughput of 100-150 Gbps each.
Once the constellation is fully deployed, around 30-32 satellites could be positioned over India at any given time, offering aggregate capacity of as much as 4.8 Tbps, according to the report.
