OneWeb to soon seek trial spectrum to test satellite tech

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

OneWeb will shortly seek trial satellite spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in the ‘Ka’ (27.5 to 29.1 GHz and 29.5 to 30 GHz) and ‘Ku’ (14 GHz) bands to test its earth stations and user access terminals (UATs), senior company executives said. The company wants to test the infrastructure ahead of the India launch of its broadband-from-space services, targeted for later this year. The UK-based satellite player has started deploying ground infrastructure, including two gateway earth stations, and will use the trial airwaves to test network performance and user experience in key locations, especially in India's rural and remote regions with limited access to high-speed Internet. OneWeb is striving to get the first mover advantage over the likes of Elon Musk’s Starlink, Jeff Bezosled Amazon and Reliance Jio in the still nascent India satcom market with a high growth potential. EY estimates the country’s space economy to grow to about $13 billion by 2025 from an annual revenue opportunity of around $1 billion now. “Based on discussions with DoT, OneWeb will shortly apply for trial spectrum from the government to test its satellite broadband network … the company is on track to launch the services commercially later this year,” one of the executives told ET.

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OneWeb, he added, already has inprinciple approval from DoT for setting up two satellite earth stations (in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu) and is now awaiting final clearances from IN-SPACe, the space services