Satcom services to go live in India shortly, for demos to start with
satcom services, will soon become a reality in India, starting with live demonstrations during an upcoming event later this month.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has given permissions to Bharti-backed Oneweb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm to do live demonstrations during an industry event, which will give consumers first-hand experience around satcom services.
The two companies, which are holders of global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licenses, have also applied to the DoT to get test spectrum for doing trials on a wider scale for satcom services. The test spectrum is usually granted for a period of 90 days, but the timeframe gets extended if required.
Queries sent to Oneweb and Jio Satellite Communications remained unanswered at the time of going to press.
“We are analysing the applications for test spectrum from Jio Satellite and Oneweb,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
Another official said the government is likely to give test spectrum to the companies as satcom has immense potential and India wants a leadership role in the segment.
The satellite communications market in India is at a nascent stage but the potential is substantial, particularly in rural and remote areas. As per an EY-ISpA report, India’s space economy is set to rise to $13 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6%.
“With test spectrum, the companies can check their networks as there is still no clarity around spectrum allocation for satcom,” said an executive with one of the telecom companies.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is working on finalising its recommendations on satcom spectrum allocation.
