Following a partnership between Google and Reliance Intelligence, users will gain access to Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro model in the Gemini app, higher limits to generate images and videos with its Nano Banana and Veo 3.1 models, and 2TB of cloud storage, Reliance Industries noted in a statement. It said the package is valued at INR35,100 ($396).

Through the collaboration, Reliance Industries chair Mukesh Ambani highlighted an aim to make India “not just AI-enabled but AI-empowered” where “every citizen and enterprise can harness intelligent tools to create, innovate and grow”.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai added the deal will put AI tools into the hands of consumers, businesses, and India’s vibrant developer community.

Reliance Intelligence will also partner with Google Cloud to broaden access to its advanced AI hardware accelerators, stating the move will enable more organisations to train and deploy larger, more complex AI models, as well as deliver faster inferencing.

The deal also will see Reliance Intelligence become a strategic go-to-market partner for Google Cloud to drive adoption of agentic AI platform Gemini Enterprise across India.

In early September, Reliance Industries and Meta Platforms unveiled a plan to set up a joint venture to develop an AI platform to support enterprises in India and select international markets.

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The increase likely pushed Jio ahead of China Unicom as the third-largest 5G operator in the world. The Chinese company ended June with 213.5 million 5G subs. It reports Q3 figures on 22 October.

Jio’s total mobile subscribers base increased 5.8 per cent from a year earlier to 506.4 million.

Jio Platforms, the holding company of Reliance Jio, booked a 12.8 per cent increase in net profit to INR73.8 billion ($839.5 million) in the three months ending 30 September. Total revenue grew 14.9 per cent to INR426.5 billion.

In a statement, chair and MD of Jio parent Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani noted its digital services business “continues to scale-up with positive momentum” in subscriber additions across homes and mobility services.

ARPU continued to climb, rising 8.4 per cent to INR211.40. Average monthly data consumption grew 24.8 per cent to 37.8GB.

Subscribers of its fixed wireless access (FWA) service, Jio AirFibre, jumped more than threefold year-on-year to 9.5 million.

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The new unit will focus on developing AI infrastructure, enabling global partnerships and building AI services across key sectors including education, healthcare, and agriculture.

“Artificial intelligence is already at the heart of Reliance’s transformation into a Deep-Tech enterprise,” Ambani told shareholders at the company’s 48th Annual General Meeting, noting the new subsidiary will “bring even more focus and speed to this agenda”.

Outlining the entity’s four-pronged strategy, the business tycoon revealed that work is already underway on gigawatt-scale, AI-ready data centres in the city of Jamnagar in the western state of Gujarat. The facilities will be powered by green energy and delivered in phases aligned with the country’s growing digital infrastructure needs, aiming to support AI training and inference workloads.

The subsidiary will offer AI services aimed at consumers, small businesses and enterprises, with an emphasis on affordability and scalability in the Indian market. In addition, it will invest in building an in-house talent pool of engineers, researchers and product teams.

Ambani noted Reliance Intelligence will also serve as a platform for global tech collaboration, bringing “the world’s best tech-companies and open-source communities together with Reliance’s deep-domain expertise and execution strength”. The unit aims to deliver high-performance AI systems with a spotlight on supply resilience and India-first compliance, he added.

The launch of Reliance Intelligence is part of broader AI push at the Ambani-owned conglomerate, as India ramps up national efforts to boost digital infrastructure and AI innovation. During the meeting, Reliance also announced an AI joint venture with Meta backed by an INR8.6 billion ($96.9 million) investment and an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to build AI-focused cloud infrastructure in Jamnagar.

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The pair have jointly committed an initial investment of INR8.6 billion ($96.9 million) to capitalise the venture, with Reliance contributing 70 per cent and Meta Platforms the remainder.

In a joint statement, the companies noted the JV will develop vertical and sector‑specific offerings including an AI platform-as-a-service and a suite of pre-configured AI tools.

Reliance chair and MD Mukesh Ambani noted partnering with Meta Platforms “brings our vision of providing AI to every Indian and enterprise to life”, by combining the latter’s open-source Llama models with its expertise across multiple industries.

The transaction is subject to standard regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q4.

Google Cloud
Meanwhile, Reliance expanded a partnership with Google Cloud, with plans to design and build an AI-focused cloud facility and associated network infrastructure in the city of Jamnagar, on the west coast.

In a separate statement, it explained the cloud region supported by Reliance’s infrastructure, renewable energy and nationwide network, will be fully compliant with Google Cloud’s global specifications and service-level standards.

Google Cloud will deploy its AI hyper-computer AI stack offering generative models, development platform and relevant applications.

Ambani said by bringing Google Cloud’s AI capabilities to Jamnagar, “we are laying the foundation for India to become a global leader in AI”.

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An IPO at that level is likely to raise more than $6 billion, the news agency wrote. The size of the listing and the timing have yet to be confirmed.

Standard IPOs typically offer between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of a company’s equity to the public.

Reliance Industries hasn’t appointed bankers for the IPO but is holding initial talks with stock market officials, sources told Bloomberg.

Reuters reported in early July Reliance Industries chair and MD Mukesh Ambani (pictured) wanted to delay the IPO of Jio Platforms until next year, waiting for its subscriber base and revenue to continue to grow.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio, which launched mobile service in 2016 and now is the largest player in India with nearly 500 million mobile subscribers.

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Ericsson stated it holds 50 per cent of the equity, while operators AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone have as expected taken the remaining stake combined.

Aduna became operational in September 2024, with a goal to create an ecosystem of companies also including hyperscalers, developers and other industry players committed to advancing APIs and establish a set of common interfaces based on the existing industry-wide CAMARA open source project.

It has also stated its work will be in-keeping with the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative.

In addition to funding and commercial agreements, Ericsson stated the 12 operator shareholders will provide support through telecom operator relationships, knowledge of the developer community and expertise in network APIs.

Since its formation, Aduna has expanded its ecosystem, with operators including SoftBank Corp and NTT Docomo and five vendors including Microsoft and Syniverse the latest to join the effort.

Anthony Bartolo, who was named CEO of Aduna in January this year, stated closing the transaction was another important step for Aduna.

“In just ten months we have built an impressive ecosystem comprising the biggest names in telecoms and the wider ICT industry,” he said. “The closing provides renewed motivation for Aduna to accelerate the adoption of network APIs by developers on a global scale.”

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Jio Platforms, the holding company of Reliance Jio, launched 5G in October 2022 and is India’s largest mobile operator.

According to GSMA Intelligence this 213 million figure is around 45 per cent of its total mobile connection base.

Akash Ambani, chair of Reliance Jio, said the operator is “extending its leadership” in 5G and fixed broadband, which will be pivotal in driving AI adoption in the country.

Chair and MD of Jio parent Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani added its Jio AirFiber is now the largest fixed wireless access (FWA) service provider in the world, with a base of 7.4 million users.

Net profit in fiscal Q1 grew 24.8 per cent to INR71.1 billion ($824 million), while total revenue increased 18.8 per cent to INR411 billion.

Total mobile subs rose by 8.4 million from a year ago to 498.1 million at end June. ARPU improved 14.9 per cent to INR208.80.

Earlier in the month Jio Platforms delayed an IPO planned for this year, Reuters reported.

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Two sources told Reuters Mukesh Ambani, chairman and MD of Jio Platforms parent Reliance Industries (pictured), had opted against launching the IPO before the year-end, which analysts have stated could be India’s largest to date with a $100 billion valuation.

A source said Jio Platforms wants to grow revenue and hit a larger subscriber base for its telecoms business as well as expand its digital services offerings to increase its valuation before listing in Mumbai.

The sources added the company is yet to appoint bankers about the move.

In 2019, Ambani set a target of launching an IPO for Jio Platforms within five years.

However, the timeline was pushed, with The Economic Times reporting in February 2024 it could move ahead with a listing in 2025 as some big scale private equity investors were looking to cash out of large investments made in the company in 2020.

These include private equity backers KKR and Vista Equity Partners, along with Meta Platforms and Google.

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Reliance Jio chair Akash Ambani stated the operator is working to enable large-scale AI infrastructure and services, which will “add an intelligence layer to all Jio services”, as it continues to invest in the area.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio, which launched 5G in October 2022.

Chairman and MD of Jio parent Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani noted the operator achieved record revenue and profit, driven by a steady increase in its mobile user base and an improving subscriber mix due to gains in home connections.

Jio also highlighted growth in digital services and an improved profit margin.

Net profit grew 25.7 per cent year-on-year to INR70.2 billion ($824.5 million), with revenue increasing 17.8 per cent to INR398.5 billion. ARPU continued its year-long climb, gaining 13.5 per cent to INR206.

The operator’s mobile user base grew by 6.4 million to 488.2 million at end-March. It is the largest mobile player in India, ahead of Bharti Airtel with 360.2 million connections and Vodafone Idea with 182.5 million, data from GSMA Intelligence showed.

Average monthly data usage remained largely stable at 33.6GB.

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Now, with the SpaceX subsidiary “only” needing the nod from regulators to launch services. Mobile World Live (MWL) spoke to analysts about how the move will play out in an ultra competitive environment where pricing, regulation, and political issues loom large.

A business truce
Starlink’s long-mooted entry into India has been riddled with years of licensing hurdles and domestic pushback. Musk has been eyeing the market since 2021, when the company began accepting pre-orders for its satellite internet service before securing authorisation.

The move triggered a swift response from Indian authorities, who ordered Starlink to shut down pre-sales, refund customer deposits, and halt operations until commercial licences were approved.

Since, the SpaceX subsidiary navigated a complex web of compliance demands to gain entry, with a primary roadblock being spectrum allocation—whether satellite spectrum should be assigned administratively or auctioned, similar to terrestrial telecoms services. Speaking to MWL, Joe Gardiner, research analyst at CCS Insight, noted the government’s decision to allocate spectrum administratively in late 2024 lowered barriers to entry, serving as a breakthrough for the company. The move also marked a setback for domestic telecom behemoths like Airtel and Jio, after both had initially resisted Starlink’s presence.

However, the industry giants pivoted last month. While the duo have existing satellite operator partnerships with Eutesalat’s OneWeb and Luxemborg-based SES respectively, Gardiner argues the Indian telcos now see Starlink “as a complementary good due to the vendor’s ability to tap into the direct-to-consumer (D2C) market”.

Starlink’s strategic model thus presents a unique opportunity for India as OneWeb and SES primarily focus on enterprise and backhaul solutions. On the flip side, the partnerships will be key to help Starlink navigate the country’s regulatory complexities and gain access to a vast subscriber base without having to battle for market share.

Counterpoint Research analyst and co-founder Neil Shah told MWL the collaboration is “a business truce” as until the Indian telcos develop robust LEO/GEO satellite networks, they will also remain dependent on the SpaceX subsidiary. “Both Jio-Airtel and Starlink need each other to drive this market.”

Furthermore, India’s digital inclusion ambitions likely strengthened Starlink’s case for entry. According to Shah, between 10 and 12 per cent of Indian households have fixed broadband access, while mobile broadband penetration still reaches only 58 per cent of the population. The government has been making concerted efforts to bridge the digital divide through fibre expansion and 5G fixed wireless access (FWA). Last year, Reliance Jio revealed its target to connect 100 million households through its 5G AirFiber service. With India’s push for digital inclusion presenting an opportunity, Gardiner stated Starlink will likely prioritise areas with no terrestrial connectivity before expanding to rural and possibly urban regions. “With fibre roll-out so low, Starlink will be able to target most areas in India”.

Sustained challenges
While Starlink has certainly made inroads into the country, challenges persist. Gardiner pointed out pricing will pose a key obstacle to mass adoption for Starlink in a sensitive Indian market. He highlighted that Jio’s 5G AirFiber service offers an entry-level plan at just $10 per month, with premium options maxing out at $29 for 500Mb/s speeds. In contrast, Starlink’s average broadband subscription fee of $50 per month is significantly higher than local alternatives. Combined with the additional cost of Starlink’s hardware and installation, he emphasised the price point could limit its appeal to its target customers, at least in the short term.

Competition is also an inevitable challenge. While pitched as complementary, the presence of foreign players like OneWeb and SES still does pose a threat to Starlink, and others are circling. Shah explained Amazon’s Project Kuiper is expected to follow a similar collaborative entry model in India, while Apple-backed Globalstar is rumoured to be eyeing a space, adding more heat to the competitive landscape.

On the regulatory side, Gardiner noted the Indian government may limit the company’s spectrum allocation to a five-year term, signalling a cautious approach aimed at assessing satellite broadband’s impact before committing to long-term agreements.

India’s strict data localisation laws, mandatory security testing of foreign telecoms equipment and requirements to disclose any ties to India’s neighbouring nations such as China is also another barrier facing Starlink.

Shah explained the “regulatory hurdles will also come at a price”, potentially making the country less lucrative for Musk’s satellite venture compared to Western markets.

Beyond Starlink
Indeed, Musk’s growing presence in India extends beyond Starlink as his other technology companies—Tesla, X, and Grok AI—also grapple complex political and regulatory landscapes.

“Though it appears Starlink is likely to be approved in India, relations are not strong with the Indian government due to how Elon Musk conducts his other business ventures,” said Gardiner.

Musk recently even filed a lawsuit against the government over censorship of X and cancelled a planned visit to the country in 2024.

Nevertheless, Shah noted that Musk’s businesses require different market entry strategies. “Musk is in a strong position and is banking on Trump-led US and Modi-led Indian administrations to find a soft landing, whether it’s through reverse tariffs benefits, regulatory lobbying, or a middle way via joint ventures or strategic partnerships with local players.”

For Starlink, he stated the strategic partnerships route will be key. Meanwhile, X also faces regulatory pressures related to free speech and content moderation, and Grok AI’s success hinges on adapting to India’s data sovereignty rules.

Ultimately, Gardiner suggested that Musk must perform a precarious balancing act between China, India, and the US government, for which he serves as a key advisor. His businesses could face heightened scrutiny depending on geopolitical developments, and his decisions on where to prioritise investments could indeed impact the future of Starlink in India.

While its collaboration with Jio and Airtel provides a foothold, it is clear that Starlink’s journey into India and what happens if it does get there will be anything but straightforward.

The post Analysis: Starlink mission to India still on shaky ground appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a statement, Jio Platforms noted the deal is subject to the satellite internet provider receiving approval to sell the service in India, adding it plans to offer Starlink equipment at its retail outlets as well as support customer service installation and activation.

The pair also are evaluating other complementary areas of cooperation.

Reliance Jio group CEO Mathew Oommen stated the collaboration strengthens its commitment and “marks a transformative step toward seamless broadband connectivity for all”.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio, India’s largest mobile operator with 482 million subscribers at end-2024.

SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said it looks forward to receiving authorisation from the government to provide more people, organisations and businesses with access to Starlink’s high-speed internet services.

In early 2022, Starlink was ordered by the Indian government to refund deposits made by customers as the venture had not received a licence to operate in the country.

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One of the stated goals of the platform is to create a central intelligence layer for telecom and digital services. The multi-domain intelligence framework will integrate AI and automation into every segment of network operations.

The AI platform will be large language model (LLM) agnostic and use open APIs to optimise functionality and capabilities.

By collectively harnessing agentic AI and using LLMs, domain-specific SLMs and machine learning techniques, the Telecom AI Platform is intended to enable end-to-end intelligence for network management and operations.

The partners noted by combining shared elements, the platform provides improvements across network security and efficiency alongside a reduction in total cost of ownership.

The companies each bring their specific expertise to the consortium across domains including RAN, routing, AI compute and security.

How it works
Jio is serving as the initial customer. The coalition will work to create a replicable reference architecture and deployable platform for use across the telecoms industry

“Think about this platform as multi-layer, multi-domain,” said Mathew Oommen (pictured, far right), group CEO of Jio Platforms. “Each of these domains, or each of these layers, will have their own agentic AI capability.”

On top of Jio Platforms’ agentic AI workflow manager is an AI orchestrator which will work with what is deemed the best LLM.

“Whichever LLM is the right LLM, this orchestrator will leverage it through an API framework,” Oomen explained.

By standing on the shoulders of each company’s work to date, Oomen said Jio Platforms could have its first product set sometime this year.

“We don’t want to take a few years to create something,” he said.

From there the Telecom AI Platform intends to share the results with other operators.

“I will tell you a little secret, and the secret is Reliance Jio has decided to look at markets outside of India,” he said. “As part of this, we will not only leverage it for Jio, we will figure out how to democratise this platform for the rest of the world”.

“Because unlike a physical box, this is going to be a lot of virtual functions and capabilities.”

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Net profit grew 26 per cent year-on-year to INR68.6 billion ($794.6 million) and consolidated revenue 19.2 per cent to INR387.5 billion.

Chairman and MD of Jio parent Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani stated “growth in digital services business was led by sustained subscriber addition and consistent improvement in customer engagement metrics”, which he added was supported by a favourable user mix, with an increasing number upgrading to 5G.

ARPU continued a three-year climb, rising 11.9 per cent to INR203.30.

Its total mobile user base rose 11.2 million to 482.1 million.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio, which launched 5G service in October 2022.

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Announced during Nvidia’s AI Summit being held in Mumbai, CEO Jensen Huang (pictured, left) revealed the tie-up during a keynote conversation with Reliance boss Mukesh Ambani (pictured, right).

The pair explained the new 1GW data centre being built by Reliance will use Nvidia’s latest Blackwell chips, making it among the first to deploy the new processor.

Their move builds on a pact around AI struck by the companies in 2023, as Reliance Jio builds tools and apps powered by the technology through its JioBrain platform.

During the conversation, Huang said AI represented a “excellent opportunity for India”, pointing to its strong foundations in computer science and IT.

Huang also highlighted rapid development of India’s computing infrastructure, stating the country will have 20-times more compute capacity by the end of 2024 than it did just a little over a year ago.

Ambani, who has this month been at odds with another technology tycoon in Elon Musk over satellite spectrum, thanked Huang for ushering in the new intelligence revolution, which he hopes can drive prosperity to India’s 1.5 billion citizens.

He added he is now “counting on Nvidia to deliver good quality AI infrastructure in the way Jio did in telecoms”.

During the conference, Nvidia also announced AI partnerships with Indian conglomerates Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys.

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Musk took to X to react to a Reuters story which claimed Ambani had taken issue with the Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) reported preference to allocate spectrum, rather than holding an auction, without seeking industry feedback, and subsequently called for the process to start afresh.

Ambani apparently argues an auction should be held because giving out licences to non-domestic players including Musk’s SpaceX creates an uneven playing field and allows the companies to launch voice and data services, and compete with local players.

In a post published yesterday (14 October) quoting the Reuters story, Musk said an auction would be “unprecedented”, pointing to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) longstanding stance on the issue.

“This spectrum was long designated by ITU as shared spectrum for satellites,” wrote Musk.

The TRAI told Reuters it was following a due process of consultation over the matter.

India’s satellite broadband market is set to take off, with Musk planning to bring Starlink service to the country, along with launches from domestic and non-domestic entities including Eutelsat OneWeb and Ambani’s Reliance Jio.

Deloitte predicts India’s space-based broadband market will be worth $1.9 billion by 2030.

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Net profit improved 23.4 per cent year-on-year to INR65.4 billion ($777.9 million), with total revenue growing 17.7 per cent to INR371.2 billion.

The company is the holding entity of Reliance Jio, the largest mobile player in India by subscribers.

ARPU rose for a 14th consecutive quarter by 7.4 per cent to INR195.10. Since June 2021, ARPU jumped 41 per cent.

The operator added 40 million 5G users since end-March, taking its total to 148 million. Total mobile subscribers increased by 19.1 million to 478.8 million.

With more than 2.8 million JioAirFiber connections, the company claimed it is the fastest growing fixed wireless operator in the world.

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Partners on the JV, dubbed the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), also include MNOs Telecel Ghana and AT Ghana, as well as local telecoms services provider K-NET and Ascend Digital Solutions. In a joint statement, the partners explained NGIC has been awarded a 5G spectrum licence by the Ghanaian authorities, putting them on course to launch services by end of this year.

Ascend Digital Solutions and K-NET owns a combined 55 per cent stake in NGIC, with the Ghanaian government holding just under 10 per cent. The remaining shares are owned by private investors and local MNOs. Reliance and other strategic partners currently do not own equity in the company.

There is a plan to “leverage India’s successful model of affordable handsets, digital platform, localised content and applications”, alongside launching budget 4G and 5G-enabled smartphones and broadband equipment.

Local digital services for healthcare, education and finance will also be introduced to help close the digital divide and enhance the lives of Ghanaians, the partners said.

Ghana’s minister for communications and digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the government is “inspired by India’s digital infrastructure and low-cost mobile data usage and keen to replicate it in Ghana”, noting the establishment of the shared infrastructure JV was fundamental to this goal.

In an interview with Bloomberg, executive director at NGIC Harkirit Singh said the new company builds “on a premise of building affordable digital services in emerging markets”.

Last year, Reliance Jio introduced low-cost 4G handsets to help narrow India’s connectivity gap.

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Mukesh Ambani, chair and MD of parent Reliance Industries, noted in its earnings release the performance of the digital services segment was boosted by expansion of subscribers, supported by both mobile and fixed wireless services. 

Net profit rose 12 per cent year-on-year to INR55.8 billion ($669.6 million), with higher ARPU improving margins. Operating revenue grew 13.3 per cent to INR338.4 billion, which the company said was driven by subscriber growth in mobility and an increase in wireline services leading to a better subscriber mix.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio, the largest mobile player in India by subscribers.

ARPU was up 1.6 per cent to INR181.70. Jio said ARPU growth slowed due to an increasing mix of promotional 5G plans, offering unlimited data to subscribers.

Having launched 5G in October 2022, the operator first disclosed associated subscriber numbers in August 2023, when it had 50 million.

Full year capex for Reliance Industries totalled $15.8 billion, down from $17 billion the previous fiscal year, with investments allocated for 5G rollout, expansion of retail infrastructure and a new energy business.

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ET stated parent Reliance Industry is considering a listing in 2025, prompted by interest among some key investors to exit.

The operator is pushing for an industry-wide minimum rate increase of 20 per cent: ET noted without such a hike, the valuation of the IPO would be affected.

KKR and Vista Equity Partners each own a 2.3 per cent stake in Jio Platforms, with Silver Lake 2 per cent, General Atlantic 1.3 per cent and TPG Capital a near 1 per cent holding.

Other major investors include Facebook (10 per cent) and Google (7.7 per cent).

Reliance Industries holds a 67 per cent stake.

Jio deployed nationwide 5G coverage in 2023, after investing billions in its network. It claimed 90 million next-generation users at end-2023, out of a total of 471 million mobile subscribers.

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In a joint release, the companies noted the hub will provide a dedicated space for testing and developing new 5G technologies. The pair didn’t disclose the location of the lab or when it will be built. 

Jio rolled out nationwide 5G coverage in less than a year, racking up 90 million subscribers at end-2023.

A Jio representative claims its network accounted for 85 per cent of the 5G base stations deployed in the country.

Ericsson set up the country’s first innovation lab for 5G at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 2018.

In October 2023, Nokia opened a 6G lab at its India R&D facility in Bangalore.

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According to the Indian publication, India’s satellite regulator National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) could grant approval to the operator by the end of January, paving the way for it to deploy a satellite-powered broadband service.

Jio Platforms struck a deal with SES to form a satellite joint venture last year and then unveiled its dedicated play dubbed JioSpaceFiber, which it claims will deliver gigabit-level broadband to the most remote parts of India.

ET reported authorisation from IN-SPACe is mandatory and the process is a complex one requiring approval from numerous ministries and security clearances.

The regulator granted its first approval for satellite broadband services to the local unit of Eutelsat and OneWeb in November 2023, with a commercial launch expected as soon as the companies receive spectrum.

The regulator’s remit covers the launch of birds, infrastructure sharing and provision of services from satellites.

Along with Jio, Space X’s Starlink and Amazon are also tussling for a position in India’s growing satellite market. IN-SPACe recently estimated the country’s space economy could grow to be worth more than $40 billion by 2033 and take an 8 per cent market share, up from 2 per cent today.

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Mukesh Ambani, chair and MD of parent Reliance Industries, noted in its earnings release Jio had deployed more than 1 million 5G sites across India, with coverage of more than 8,000 cities and towns. 

He added by December it aims to complete its nationwide rollout of 5G services, setting “a new global benchmark for the fastest rollout of a 5G network across a large nation”.

Jio chair Akash Ambani stated 5G, low-cost 4G handsets and fibre are its three big growth engines, which will “accelerate market share gains and profitability”.

Last week, it introduced a satellite service using medium Earth orbit birds from partner SES, with plans to deliver gigabit-level broadband to remote parts of the country.

Net profit grew 12 per cent year-on-year to INR53 billion ($637 million) and total revenue 10.6 per cent to INR315.4 billion.

Its subscriber base rose 7.5 per cent to 460 million and ARPU 2.5 per cent to INR181.70, attributed to a better subscriber mix across mobility and fixed line which was partially offset by the launch of 5G services.

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It stated it demonstrated the service in Gir Gujarat, Korba Chattisgarh, Nabrangpur Odissa, and ONGC-Jorhat Assam, which it described as four of the most remote locations in the country, with the product set to complement its fixed and mobile broadband Jio brands.

The company claimed it would retail at “highly affordable prices”.

JioSpaceFiber uses medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite technology from partner SES. The operator claims the constellation is able to deliver “gigabit, fibre-like services from space”. Alongside delivering its end user service, the birds will provide additional mobile backhaul capacity.

Jio chair Akash Ambani said the company is expanding its “reach to cover the millions yet to be connected” adding it would “allow everyone, everywhere, to fully participate in the new digital society” by accessing “government, education, health, and entertainment services” online.

The operator’s announcement is the latest move by a major player to grab a slice of India’s fledgling satellite broadband market.

Earlier today (27 October), The Times of India reported comments from Bharti Airtel chair Sunil Bharti Mittal claiming the Bharti-backed OneWeb would be able to cover all of India with satellite broadband from next month.

Big name international players are also eyeing the market, including Starlink and Amazon, the latter of which reportedly moved to gain approval for Project Kuiper earlier this month.

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The Economic Times (ET) reported Jio applied to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to use the administratively assigned E-band spectrum for access along with backhaul.

It reportedly argued a change would now be fully aligned with technological development and international 3GPP standards, ET wrote.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is scheduled to release a consultation paper on how to allocate spectrum in the band, which was assigned to operators in 2022 to speed the rollout of 5G services.

Jio reportedly stated the spectrum could be used to deliver high-speed broadband in urban areas where fibre deployments are costly and difficult.

The operator recently revealed it ended August with 50 million 5G users, with 96 per cent of towns covered.

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Speaking at parent company Reliance Industries’ AGM, chair and CEO Mukesh Ambani (pictured) said it is adding a 5G site every 10 seconds.

Ambani said Jio’s 5G service reaches more than 96 per cent of the towns across India and is on track to cover the entire country by December.

This is the first time Jio released 5G user figures.

Ambani claimed Jio has the capacity to “smoothly transition” its entire 4G customer base to 5G, with minimal additional capex.

“With the growing adoption of Jio 5G, we are also seeing an increasing trend of high-ARPU, post-paid customers choosing Jio.”

He noted the network runs an in-house “5G stack”, with its own portfolio of radios spanning small cells to large tower-based units.

Earlier this month, Jio stated it had met the minimum rollout obligations for the network.

It revealed fibre home broadband users now stand at 10 million, with average monthly data usage of 280GB.

Ambani said this is ten-times higher than its mobile data consumption. Its optical fibre infrastructure covers more than 1.5 million km.

In June, rival Bharti Airtel revealed it had more than 10 million 5G customers.

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Sekhar Garisa, chief executive of recruiting company FoundIt, told ET 5G is a major driver of job growth.

The newspaper reported staff levels grew 35 per cent in the year to end-March, reversing declines in the previous year.

ET cited operators’ annual reports to state Jio’s headcount at end-March was 95,300, Bharti Airtel’s 64,400 and Vodafone Idea’s 15,600.

Jio completed a nationwide rollout of 5G service across multiple spectrum bands ahead of a target of end-December.

ET estimated Jio’s 5G coverage reached 6,258 cities and towns at end-July, while Bharti Airtel covered more than 5,000 cities.

The publication pegged Jio’s 5G base station count at 254,000 and Airtel’s at 60,000.

This week, Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra noted in earnings documents it is holding talks with various network vendors to finalise its 5G rollout strategy.

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Jio stated it will launch beta trials on 7 July for the first 1 million Jio Bharat phones, offering unlimited calls and 14GB of data for INR123 a month.

It claimed the plan gives users seven-times more data and is 30 per cent less expensive compared with feature phone offerings from rivals.

In addition to its own manufacturing, Jio is opening the Jio Bharat platform to other device makers, citing domestic smartphone company Karbonn as the first to sign up.

Counterpoint Research partner and research VP Neil Shah tweeted Jio continues to take steps to bridge the digital divide by putting 4G internet-capable phones in hands of 2G feature phone users.

Jio introduced the low-cost JioPhone within a year of launching service, offering unlimited voice and access to for INR153 a month. Customers had to pay a deposit of INR1,500 for the phone which was refunded after three years.

It released a mass-market smartphone jointly developed by the digital arm of its parent company and Google in late 2021.

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The imaginatively-titled JioTag (pictured, right) is on sale in the operator’s home market of India, offering the ability to locate various items when paired with a smartphone.

JioTag is being sold for an introductory price INR749 ($9.08), which The Times of India indicated makes it “one of the most affordable” tracking gadgets in the country.

After the initial offer, the product will retail for INR2,199.

The product runs Bluetooth 5.1 with a range of up to 20 metres inside or 50 metres out, provided there is a direct line of sight to the item being tracked. Jio claims a battery life of up to a year, with the power unit capable of being replaced.

In its article, The Times of India indicated JioTag can also be used to trace lost smartphones, prompting the device to ring regardless of whether it is in silent mode.

JioTag also connects to a community feature which the newspaper explained offers the option to seek help in locating lost items.

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Airtel stated it is now providing 5G in every major urban and rural part of India.

CTO Randeep Sekhon added Airtel is committed to providing 5G in “every town and key rural areas” by September.

“We are witnessing a rapid adoption of 5G amongst customers both in urban and rural India.”

Airtel and Reliance Jio previously only disclosed the number of cities with 5G service.

In late March, Airtel claimed coverage of 500 cities, a few days after Jio revealed it hit 406. The operators began deployments in October 2022, with Jio aiming to reach 1,000 cities in less than 18 months.

The Economic Times reported the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India plans to set a requirement for Jio and Airtel to publish 5G subscribers numbers.

Vodafone Idea, which spent $2.5 billion on spectrum, has not revealed the timing of its 5G launch.

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In an earnings statement, chairman and CEO of parent Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani highlighted steady growth in mobile and FTTH subscribers as drivers of operating profit gains.

Ambani also credited “an expanding bouquet of content and digital services” provided by its “Jio business”.

Jio Platforms is the holding company of Reliance Jio.

During its fiscal Q4, Reliance Jio’s mobile subscriber base increased 7.1 per cent year-on-year to 439.3 million.

Net profit grew 15.6 per cent to INR50 billion ($610.2 million), operating revenue 14.4 per cent to INR254.7 billion and ARPU 6.7 per cent to INR178.80.

Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani noted 5G had driven significant improvement in customer experience, “reflected in the higher engagement levels”.

He added the operator remains committed to building a “robust digital society with tailor-made technology platforms”.

The operator disclosed in mid-March it had deployed 5G in 406 cities.

It began deployments in October 2022, aiming to reach 1,000 cities in less than 18 months.

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