Jio plans ground stations for a sovereign satellite network

Jio plans 23 ground stations in India to link a proposed satellite constellation with its terrestrial network, according to its India Mobile Congress presentation reported by Mint on 8 October. The display adds ground-network detail to the operator’s planned low Earth orbit system of about 1,600 satellites.

TelecomTalk reports that the ground stations would connect the satellites to infrastructure on Earth, while the combined network would extend Jio’s existing mobile and fibre services. Jio presented the programme under the name Sovereign Satellite Connectivity, with remote villages, islands and border areas among its intended users.

The company’s stated aim is to keep design, engineering, integration, testing, launch, deployment and operations within India, according to TelecomTalk. It also describes potential enterprise, aviation, maritime, government, defence and disaster-response applications. These are intended uses of the proposed system, rather than evidence of services already available.

Both the satellite constellation and the ground stations remain proposed. Mint reports that Jio did not disclose a launch timeline for the constellation at India Mobile Congress. The presentation therefore sets out a network design and coverage ambition without announcing when customers will be able to use it.