Reliance Jio Likely To Get IN-SPACe Nod To Launch Satellite-Based Gigabit Internet

SUMMARY

Jio has made all the necessary submissions to IN-SPACe, and the space regulator is expected to give the authorisation soon

The authorisation is mandatory for deploying global satellite bandwidth capacity in India

At the India Mobile Congress, Reliance said that plans are to make the giga-fibre service accessible nationwide at cost-effective rates

Reliance Jio may receive the landing rights and market access authorisations from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to roll out its satellite-based gigabit fibre services in India, ET reported.

According to the report, Jio has made all the necessary submissions to IN-SPACe, and the space regulator is expected to give the authorisation soon, which is mandatory for deploying global satellite bandwidth capacity in India.

The authorisations from IN-SPACe involve approvals at different levels from different ministries.

“We don’t comment on the status of approvals of specific companies…all I can say is that several applications for IN-SPACe authorisations are in the pipeline,” said Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe.

In October last year, the telecom giant introduced JioSpaceFiber, India’s first satellite-based giga-fibre service. The company said that the new service is designed to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity to remote and challenging-to-reach regions.

At the India Mobile Congress, Reliance said that plans are to make the giga-fibre service accessible nationwide at cost-effective rates. The company further added that the new service has connected remote locations like Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Nabarangpur in Odisha, and ONGC-Jorhat in Assam.

According to the subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecom major added 3.4 Mn wireless subscribers in September 2023. Reporting a growth of the total wireless telecom subscribers TRAI said that there had been a net addition of 1.7 Mn subscribers against 1.39 Mn in August 2023. Overall, the number of active wireless subscribers in September hovered around the 1.04 Bn mark.

Additionally, to boost the 5G availability in India, it also launched the Jio True 5G Developer Platform and the Jio 5G Lab. The company said that the idea is to enable startups and enterprises to develop 5G use cases on Jio’s 5G network.