On October 26, 2023, Reliance Jio announced that it had successfully demonstrated India’s first satellite-based gigabit broadband service. The demonstration was conducted in partnership with Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, and it achieved speeds of up to 100 Gbps.
Jio’s satellite broadband service will leverage a combination of geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellations. GEO satellites are positioned at an altitude of 35,786 km above Earth and orbit the planet at the same speed as Earth’s rotation. This allows them to provide continuous coverage of a particular area. MEO satellites are positioned at an altitude of 2,000 to 5,000 km above Earth and orbit the planet faster than Earth’s rotation. This gives them lower latency, making them ideal for real-time applications such as video conferencing and gaming.
Jio’s satellite broadband service will be used to provide high-speed internet access to a variety of customers, including:
- Enterprises: Jio’s satellite broadband service can be used by enterprises to connect their remote offices and branches to their central networks. This can help them to improve communication and collaboration, and to access cloud-based applications.
- Mobile backhaul: Jio’s satellite broadband service can be used to provide backhaul connectivity to mobile networks in areas where there is no terrestrial infrastructure. This can help to improve mobile coverage and capacity in rural and remote areas.
- Retail customers: Jio’s satellite broadband service can be used to provide internet access to retail customers in areas where there is no terrestrial infrastructure. This can help to bridge the digital divide and provide everyone with access to high-speed internet.
Jio’s satellite broadband service is a significant development for India. It has the potential to connect millions of people in rural and remote areas to the internet, and to boost the country’s digital economy.
Jio’s vision of connecting everything everywhere across land, air, sea, and space is ambitious, but it is achievable. The company has the resources and the expertise to make it happen. Jio’s satellite broadband service is a step in the right direction, and it will be interesting to see how the company develops this service in the coming years.