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Reliance Jio has announced the successful testing of its satellite internet service, JioSpaceFiber, in four remote districts in India. The company, along with Bharti Airtel Ltd and the UK government’s OneWeb joint venture, is among the two firms with a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from the Department of Telecommunications. The tests were conducted in Nabarangpur district in Odisha, Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, and Jorhat in Assam.

JioSpaceFiber aims to provide affordable satellite internet to boost mobile data backhaul in areas where fiber connectivity to 5G cell towers is challenging. Reliance Jio plans to offer high-speed gigabit internet to users across the country, although the total bandwidth it has access to is not disclosed. As more users join, the available bandwidth per user may decrease due to the limitations of satellite internet.

The satellite technology used in the tests was provided by SES S.A., a Luxembourgish firm specializing in space connectivity. JioSpaceFiber will be a part of Reliance Jio’s broadband services lineup, which includes JioFiber and JioAirFiber. The satellite network will also support the expansion of Jio True5G across India.

While other competing firms have not yet received GMPCS licenses, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation has the potential to cover India. However, it currently lacks the license to serve consumers in India, despite submitting its application over a year ago. Amazon’s Project Kuiper also applied for a GMPCS license this month, according to the Department of Telecommunications.

BSNL already holds a satellite internet license and has been using the technology for several years to provide backhaul connectivity in Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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