Jio has unveiled a proposed satellite connectivity network featuring around 1,600 Low Earth Orbit satellites and 23 ground stations across India, with the stated aim of extending internet and communications access to remote villages, island territories, maritime regions and border outposts.
The plan was showcased at the India Mobile Congress 2026 in Delhi, where Jio presented what it called “Sovereign Satellite Connectivity”. The proposal would combine space-based infrastructure with the company’s existing terrestrial network of mobile services and fibre connections.
According to the plan displayed at the event, the 1,600-satellite constellation would operate in Low Earth Orbit. The proposed network is intended to reach locations where conventional towers and fibre networks are difficult to deploy because of geography, distance or limited supporting infrastructure.
The 23 planned ground stations would provide the link between the satellite system and India’s terrestrial communications infrastructure. They would be critical to routing satellite capacity into existing networks and integrating space-based connectivity with Jio’s current services.
Jio’s stated vision is to retain control in India across the satellite network’s value chain, including design, engineering, integration, testing, launch, deployment and operations. The company’s display referred to coverage across India’s landmass and maritime areas, with connectivity potentially reaching more than 600,000 villages.
The proposed applications extend beyond household internet access. Jio identified enterprise connectivity, remote industrial and infrastructure sites, aviation, maritime services, government operations, defence and disaster response as potential use cases. The display also referred to Direct-to-Device calling for rural areas, which could allow compatible devices to connect in locations where conventional mobile coverage is unavailable or limited.
For rural communities, satellite connectivity could address gaps that remain difficult to close through terrestrial networks alone. Villages separated by difficult terrain, sparsely populated areas, island territories and strategically important border locations can require high infrastructure costs for fibre routes and mobile towers. The proposal places those locations within a broader network design rather than treating terrestrial coverage as the only means of reaching them.
The initiative also links connectivity infrastructure with emergency response. Satellite networks can support communications when roads, power systems or terrestrial telecom infrastructure are disrupted, although the operational details of Jio’s proposed disaster-response services have not been specified in the information presented at the event.
India Mobile Congress 2026 is being held under the theme “Scale Without Boundaries”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of the event on Thursday. Jio’s satellite proposal reflects that theme by extending the company’s connectivity strategy beyond mobile towers, fibre routes and other ground-based systems.
The 1,600 satellites and 23 ground stations remain part of a proposed plan, and the company has not announced an operational launch date in the information available. The next steps will determine how the proposed constellation, ground infrastructure and terrestrial-network integration are developed and deployed.
