‘Everything everywhere at the highest quality…’: Akash Ambani on satellite broadband plan in India amid Jio IPO

Jio IPO: Jio Platforms Managing Director Akash Ambani spoke of the company’s plans with satellite broadband as Reliance Jio goes for an initial public offering (IPO). He said Jio’s vision is to enable digital life for every Indian.

In an interview to Business Standard, Ambani said, “Jio's vision is to enable digital life for every Indian by connecting everything everywhere at the highest quality and most affordable price.”

He said telecom connectivity covers 99 per cent of the population in India but satellite connectivity also has its uses in maritime, aviation and some of the remotest regions. He said satellite complements terrestrial networks, and does not replace them.

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“We are evaluating the possibility of developing a sovereign Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for India,” he said, adding that they are also evaluating partnerships, and that they see a long term opportunity of creating an indigenous satellite connectivity capability for India.

“The timing will depend on a multitude of factors like technology evolution and approvals, etc., so I will not put a date on it,” said Ambani in the interview.

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His remarks comes after Reliance responded to Elon Musk’s criticism of the delayed launch of Starlink and the government’s preference for the homegrown giant. Reliance brushed off the comments and said they too are awaiting approval, and the process is the same for every applicant. "We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land,” it had said in the statement.

Ambani said in the interview that Jio’s IPO is an important milestone in India’s telecom journey. It will let public and market investors to see how connectivity, technology and digital services together create value across the economy.