JioSpaceFiber, India's first satellite-based gigabit internet service, will go worldwide after its commercial launch in India, according to Reliance Jio president Mathew Oommen. Tariffs for retail and enterprise users in India, as well as its global clients, would be appealing and cheap, according to him.

 

“We think the opportunity for India to go global is big and Reliance will continue to review options to see how best to represent India globally and offer value to customers, leveraging the technology, capabilities we have already operationalized in India. We will be extremely competitive in any market, in any service we get into," the top executive said in an interview.

 

JioSpaceFiber is being piloted across four locations from its gateway at Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, and the company plans to launch it commercially next year. Jio will be the first company to provide 1 gigabit speeds in India and will be able to provide high-speed internet connectivity to mobile phone users in remotest areas using its 5G outdoor small cell, which acts like a 5G base station to distribute satellite connectivity signal to either a 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi device, as per livemint.

 

The service's availability will be determined on the satellite spectrum that the government assigns. It is awaiting clarification from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on whether it should be issued administratively or through auctions at a fixed price.

 

Oommen stated that because satellite broadband would compete with terrestrial telecom services, the airwaves must be auctioned. Markets such as the UAE, Thailand, and New Zealand have set a precedent by using auctions, and India must keep its interests in mind since airwaves are a precious natural resource that should not be handed away without attaching the appropriate value through auctions.