With permission to operate satellites granted by the Indian space regulator, Reliance Jio platforms' plans to establish the satellite internet has overcome a major obstacle. Reliance Industries will provide high-speed internet connectivity via satellites all around the nation through a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES.

As per a report by Reuters, Orbit Connect India has been granted three approvals by the Indian space regulator to facilitate the provision of high-speed internet connection via satellite. Inmarsat and OneWeb were among the other companies approved, in addition to Reliance's Jio.

A report from Reuters states that the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre, also known as IN-SPACe, approved OneWeb, which is supported by Inmarsat and Bharti Enterprises, in April and June.

The action will expedite these businesses' further attempts to provide satellite internet; still, in order for them to start operations, they must separately obtain authorization from the nation's telecom department.

satellite internet Image Source: Vajiram & Ravi

As per a Reuters study that cites Deloitte, a consultancy, the satellite broadband service in India is anticipated to expand at a rate of 36% annually over the following five years, culminating in a $1.9 billion market by 2030.

The Jio Space Fibre of Reliance

Reliance Jio unveiled their satellite-based gigabit service at the India Mobile Congress 2023. This service will use satellites to provide internet access to even the most remote parts of India.

Competition to provide satellite internet

As Amazon and Elon Musk's Starlink attempt to secure approval to begin offering satellite internet in the most populated nation, the competition to do so is becoming more intense. Up until now, Elon Musk's Starlink has used satellites to provide internet connectivity in more than 100 nations. Musk is trying to convince the internet authorities to provide the permission.

The authorizations, which were not previously publicised, let Orbit Connect to operate satellites above India; nevertheless, in order to start offering satellite-based high-speed internet access, the department of telecoms in that nation must provide additional licences.

With a net worth of over $114.4 billion, Ambani is the richest person in the nation, and this announcement represents yet another victory.

In the race to be the first to introduce satellite communication and other services in the most populated country on earth, Ambani has had to contend with well-known competitors like Jeff Bezos' Amazon.com and Elon Musk's Starlink.

This is maybe not surprising given Modi's preference for domestic companies over foreign ones. Additionally, Musk's decision to postpone his trip to India in favour of a visit to Beijing in late April was seen as a slight against the Prime Minister of India.

An email requesting more information was not answered by Reliance, the company that owns Jio.

IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka announced that Inmarsat, a different business that aims to offer high-speed satellite-based internet, has also received permission to operate satellites over India.

Musk's Starlink and Amazon.com's Kuiper were the other two applicants; Eutelsat's OneWeb, which is supported by Bharti Enterprises, was also approved late last year.

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