Jio Platforms Ltd on Monday announced that it has formed a joint venture with SES, a leading global satellite-based content connectivity solutions provider, to offer satellite-based broadband services in India.

The move comes at a time Elon Musk’s Starlink has hit a roadblock in India for the same service. Recently, the Indian government had prevented Starlink’s satellite broadband division from taking pre-bookings as it does not have a licence.

However, Starlink’s India head had said that they will apply for a commercial licence in the country.

JPL is the digital services arm of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). RIL said in a statement it has formed a joint venture with SES called Jio Space Technology to deliver the next generation scalable and affordable broadband services in India by leveraging satellite technology.

JPL and SES will own a 51 per cent and 49 per cent equity stake in the JV, respectively.

RIL disclosed that the venture will use multi-orbit space networks that is a combination of geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellations capable of delivering multi-gigabit links and capacity to enterprises, and retail customers across India and neighbouring regions.

It added that the joint venture will be the vehicle for providing SES’s satellite data and connectivity services in India, except for certain international aeronautical and maritime customers who may be served by SES.

Glance funding

Jio Platforms will invest $200 million, about Rs 1,500 crore, in SoftBank-backed Inmobi’s Glance platform, which provides mobile lock screen content including videos and advertisement on it.

Glance will use the funds raised to double down on growth in Asia as well as launch in key global markets including the US, Brazil, Mexico and Russia.