Jio Platforms and SES announced a 51-49 joint venture — Jio Space Technology — to deliver broadband services in India leveraging satellite technology.
Jio will compete with Starlink satellite internet venture, a division of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, and OneWeb – a collapsed satellite operator rescued by the British government and India’s Bharti Group.
Jio Space Technology will use multi-orbit space networks that is a combination of geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellations capable of delivering multi-gigabit links and capacity to enterprises, mobile backhaul and retail customers in India and neighbouring regions.
The joint venture will be the vehicle for providing SES’s satellite data and connectivity services in India, except for certain international aeronautical and maritime customers who may be served by SES. It will have availability of up to 100 Gbps capacity from SES and will leverage Jio’s sales reach in India to unlock this market opportunity.
Jio Space Technology will develop gateway infrastructure in India to provide services within the country. Jio has entered into a multi-year capacity purchase agreement, based on certain milestones along with gateways and equipment purchase with total contract value of circa $100 million.
Jio Space Technology will leverage SES-12, SES’s GEO satellite serving India, and O3b mPOWER, SES’s MEO constellation, to complement Jio’s terrestrial network, increasing access to digital services and applications. Jio will offer managed services and gateway infrastructure operations services to the joint venture.
Akash Ambani, Director of Jio, said: “While we continue to expand our fibre-based connectivity and FTTH business and invest in 5G, this new joint venture with SES will further accelerate the growth of multigigabit broadband.”
Steve Collar, CEO of SES, said: “This joint venture with JPL is an example of how SES can complement even the most extensive terrestrial networks to deliver high-quality connectivity.”
