Jio files its 1,650-satellite constellation with India's regulator
What happened
Reliance Jio (Akash Ambani, Reliance AGM 2026) announced it is evaluating a sovereign LEO constellation and has formally submitted a proposal to IN-SPACe for approximately 1,600–1,650 satellites at ~650km altitude. The constellation is designed for both broadband and D2D connectivity. Jio Satellite Communications already holds a GMPCS licence from India's DoT and IN-SPACe authorisation. Spectrum allocation and further clearances are pending. India's government is expected to support Jio's ITU filing for orbital slots (Economic Times reporting). Estimated cost: $10–15B. Deployment timeline: 2–3 years from approval. Jio is simultaneously planning an IPO, which gives this announcement investor-relations significance as a growth narrative — but the formal IN-SPACe submission and ITU filing support signal real intent beyond a press narrative. Government constraint noted: India unlikely to allow inter-satellite laser links that would enable data to bypass national borders, meaning ground station dependence higher than Starlink architecture.
Read-across for SES
India is one of the largest addressable satellite broadband markets. SES's O3b mPOWER has sovereign pipeline aspirations in APAC including India. Eutelsat OneWeb has active India commercial permits and is already marketing. Starlink has Ka/Ku licences in India. If Jio launches a sovereign constellation at 650km with 1,650 satellites and government backing for ITU slots, it creates a preferred-vendor dynamic for Indian government and military connectivity that structurally excludes all foreign operators from the highest-value contracts — analogous to what Guowang does in China. Commercial market would still be contestable but the government/enterprise sovereign tier (~40% of APAC MEO revenue by SES's own category mix) would shift to Jio. Timeline risk: "2–3 years from approval" with IN-SPACe review starting now implies earliest Jio operational service 2028–2029 — which is inside SES's current O3b mPOWER sales horizon. This requires SES to accelerate India sovereign sales before the window closes.
As the brief filed it
Jio Space (Reliance) formally submitted 1,650-satellite sovereign LEO constellation to IN-SPACe, India government expected to support ITU filing — $10–15B programme, 650km orbit, D2D capable, ahead of Jio IPO; compresses SES's India-addressable market from long-horizon opportunity to a closing window.