Reliance Jio conducted trials for its satellite internet service, JioSpaceFiber, in four of India's most remote districts, as the company proudly announced on Friday. Reliance Jio stands as one of just two entities possessing a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license granted by the Department of Telecommunications, with the other being Bharti Airtel Ltd. In addition to this, the United Kingdom government's joint venture with OneWeb, which recently merged with the French company Eutelsat, also holds this coveted license.

This exciting revelation came to light at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) currently taking place in New Delhi, where Jio unveiled its ambitious project. The company stated its commitment to making satellite internet accessible to the masses and explained how it plans to leverage this technology to enhance mobile data backhaul in areas where connecting fiber to 5G cell towers remains a challenging task within its expansive network. Jio has laid out its vision of providing high-speed gigabit internet access to users nationwide, although the exact bandwidth allocation remains undisclosed. It's worth noting that, as more users come on board, individual bandwidth availability may decrease due to the inherent constraints of satellite internet.

These groundbreaking tests were conducted in four remote districts: Nabarangpur in Odisha, Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, and Jorhat in Assam, as confirmed by the company. Reliance Jio harnessed satellite technology from SES S.A., a Luxembourg-based firm renowned for its expertise in space connectivity.

JioSpaceFiber is set to join the company's extensive range of broadband services, which already includes JioFiber and JioAirFiber. Furthermore, this satellite network aims to facilitate the expansion of Jio True5G coverage throughout India.

As for its competitors, most are yet to secure GMPCS licenses. Notably, while SpaceX's Starlink constellation has the capability to cover India, it remains without the necessary license to serve consumers within the country, even a year after submitting its application, according to a response to a Right to Information application filed by The Hindu.

In another noteworthy development, Amazon, Inc.'s Project Kuiper submitted an application for a GMPCS license this month, according to the Department of Telecommunications' response. Meanwhile, BSNL already holds a satellite internet license, having employed this technology for several years to provide backhaul connectivity in the Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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