Reliance Jio to Provide Low-Cost Alternative to SpaceX’s Service
Asia’s wealthiest individual, Mukesh Ambani, has introduced a satellite broadband service through Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. This move aims to extend internet connectivity to even the most remote areas of India. In doing so, Ambani is entering a competitive market where billionaires Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Sunil Mittal’s OneWeb also have significant aspirations.
India’s largest wireless operator unveiled JioSpaceFiber on Friday at an industry conference in New Delhi, saying in a statement that it will help provide high-speed internet across the country “at a very affordable price,” Reliance Jio said in a statement.
The company, which did not share pricing information or give a timetable for the commercial launch of the services, will use SES’s MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellite technology.
“With JioSpaceFiber, we extend our reach to the millions of unconnected people,” said Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio. The wireless operator is a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd, which is headed by Akash’s father and Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.
The oil and retail conglomerate in 2022 formed a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES to provide satellite broadband connectivity, bridging the only major missing link in Reliance’s massive telecom infrastructure, which includes a deep fiber footprint across India.
Reliance Jio disrupted India’s telecom space in 2016 with free calls and cheap data plans, forcing rivals to adjust pricing and lose or exit. Adding satellite broadband to the strong infrastructure will also help the operator strengthen its e-commerce, streaming entertainment and financial services offerings.
