Reliance Jio Infocomm’s satellite unit has received a letter of intent (LoI) from the Department of Telecoms (DoT) for satellite communication services, according to industry sources.

The LoI was issued to Jio Satellite Communications Ltd (JSCL) on Monday, sources informed. An email sent to Reliance Jio for comments did not elicit a response.

Quoting unnamed sources, PTI reported from New Delhi that the Department of Telecom has granted a Letter of Intent for global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) services to the company.

With this, the company can set up and operate the GMPCS services in the licensed service areas. The licenses are for 20 years (from the date of its grant after fulfilling stipulated conditions). The offering under GMPCS includes voice and data services via satellite.

These mobile satellite networks can operate with low-earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and Geosynchronous (GEO) satellites.

On February 14 this year, Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate announced a joint venture with European satellite operator SES to provide satellite-based broadband services across India, joining the race with billionaires Elon Musk‘s SpaceX and Sunil Mittal’s OneWeb to offer reliable, high-speed internet everywhere.