In the backdrop of backlash from none other than Elon Musk, who accused Mukesh Ambani a few days ago of stalling Starlink’s entry into India, Reliance Jio’s leadership is pitching the company as a technology platform, not just a telecom operator, with satellite broadband, 6G, and artificial intelligence as its next growth areas. The message arrives on the day the Jio Platforms IPO opens for subscription.

Akash Ambani, who chairs Reliance Jio Infocomm and is managing director of Jio Platforms, told PTI on Tuesday that the company’s network is its technology and that digital services, AI and cloud are being layered on top of connectivity. “There is no either-or at Jio: the network is our technology,” he said. “Tariffs are one part of a much bigger story.”

Satellites. At the India Mobile Congress on October 8, Ambani said Jio is working to prove an “indigenous satellite stack based out of India,” according to TelecomTalk. Reports said Jio showed the telecom minister an India-made satellite broadband stack and has not set a launch date. Jio told PTI it is evaluating its own constellation and ground-station network, along with partnerships with global satellite providers, to reach remote areas. One report puts the plan at about 1,600 low Earth orbit satellites and 23 ground stations, while another cites about 1,650 satellites and an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion cost. Neither figure has been confirmed by Jio in the coverage we found.

6G. Ambani said Jio has already filed patents in the pre-6G space and will “contribute to that story heavily,” referring to the government’s goal that 10% of 6G patents come from India. Jio’s stated long-term aim is to make 6G largely a software upgrade of its cloud-native network, not a full rebuild, PTI reported. Jio Platforms has 7,220 patent applications, according to figures carried in the PTI-based coverage.

AI. Ambani said Jio can use AI to innovate on voice and data services. Jio has a partnership with Google, which offers its AI Pro plan free for 18 months to users, and with Meta through Reliance Enterprise Intelligence, a joint venture for enterprise AI in India. “Both are working partnerships, not just shareholdings,” he said.

The IPO. The Jio Platforms issue opens today and closes October 23, with a price band of ₹1,065–1,119 per share and a fresh issue of up to ₹30,213 crore at the top of the band, ThePrint reported. Listing is expected on October 28. Up to ₹27,500 crore of net proceeds will go toward repaying borrowings of Reliance Jio Infocomm, according to PTI, and ThePrint adds general corporate purposes. Coverage does not tie the proceeds to satellites or 6G.

The satellite and 6G plans have no announced launch dates, costs or revenue targets, and readers considering the IPO should read the offer document. Let’s see how this pans out and whether India finally gets what it aspires for in the coming years -the satellite based internet.