At the India Mobile Congress (IMC) in New Delhi, Reliance Jio, one of the two entities holding a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from the Department of Telecommunications, has announced the commencement of trials for its satellite internet service, Jio SpaceFiber.
Jio SpaceFiber has been trialled in the far-flung regions of India, specifically Nabarangpur district in Odisha, Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, and Jorhat in Assam. These trials mark a step towards addressing the connectivity needs of areas where traditional fiber-optic infrastructure struggles to meet the demands of emerging 5G networks.
What does Jio Plan to do with Jio SpaceFiber?
Reliance Jio’s primary objective with Jio SpaceFiber is to provide affordable satellite internet solutions. The company aims to leverage this technology to enhance Mobile Data backhaul, particularly in areas where connecting to 5G cell towers via traditional means is challenging. Jio has pledged to offer high-speed gigabit internet to users across the country, although the exact total Bandwidth at its disposal remains undisclosed.
It’s worth noting that as more users join the network, individual bandwidth may naturally decrease due to the inherent limitations of satellite internet. Also, the early adopters of this service will not be the end consumers. As in Jorhat, Jio is doing trials with ONGC, and as things move forward, they may conduct more tests with enterprise customers and local government bodies.
What is Jio SpaceFiber?
JioSpaceFiber, as the name implies, is a satellite-based internet network designed to expand high-speed Broadband services into previously underserved regions. This initiative operates in tandem with Jio’s existing offerings, JioFiber and Jio AirFiber.
In collaboration with SES S.A., a Luxembourg-based satellite communication provider, Reliance Jio is harnessing cutting-edge technology, specifically SES’s O3b and the new O3b mPower satellites. These medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites bolster mobile backhaul capacity, enabling the expansion and scalability of Jio’s True5G network even in remote and challenging terrains.
JioSpaceFiber, the satellite-based internet service, aims to improve the connectivity landscape in India.
Space War: Jio vs Airtel
Jio is one of only two companies holding a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from the Department of Telecommunications needed to offer satellite-based internet connectivity in India. The other company is Bharti Airtel OneWeb, which is a joint venture with French firm Eutelsat.
Bharti Airtel Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, announced at the inaugural function of India Mobile Congress 2023, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, that the OneWeb satellite communication service will be available to connect all parts of the country from next month. This will be a significant milestone in connecting the entire country through advanced technology and the telecom war in India between Jio and Airtel may move to space.