A Reliance Jio unit had got a key approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to begin high-speed broadband-from-space services.

HIGHLIGHTS
DoT gave approval to Jio to begin high-speed broadband-from-space services
Experts have looked at India as a key emerging market for broadband
Nearly 75% of rural India do not really have the access to broadband

Jio Satellite Communications Ltd (JSCL), a Jio unit that had applied for a global mobile personal communications by satellite services (GMPCS) licence earlier this year, would shortly be granted a letter of intent (LoI) by the DoT.

Jio's satellite arm was considered as the second company who had got the DoT approval to deliver broadband services through satellites when Bharti Group-backed OneWeb.

During the early days of this year, Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio Platforms (JPL) Jio's parent and Luxembourg's SES who was considered as the world satellite communications company which formed a 51:49 joint venture, along with Jio Space Technology Ltd has to deliver broadband services in India through satellites. Jio Space Tech has been developing in depth gateway infrastructure in India in order to give satcom services in the country and would use multi-orbit space networks which would use a combination of geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellations.

Competition has got intensified in India's comparatively emergent broadband-from-space services section with Jio, Bharti-backed OneWeb, Nelco, a Tata group satcom company, along with Canada's Telesat which had seemed to launch satellite broadband services in India. Elon Musk's SpaceX and Amazon's Project Kuiper go keenly interested in serving the world's second largest telecom market.

Experts have looked at India as a key emerging market for broadband from space services with an over $1 billion near-term annual revenue chance. E&Y had estimated India's satellite services market which would grow to $4.7 billion by 2025 as nearly 75% of rural India who do not really have the access to broadband as several locations were still without cellular or fibre connectivity.

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