Satcom can be affordable option for rural broadband

Due to low fiber penetration and spectrum availability limitations, Satcom may be an affordable option for providing rural broadband in India, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Monday.

“Given our relatively low fixed lines, fiber penetration and spectrum availability limitations, it is clearly not practical to rely solely on terrestrial wireless technology for universal broadband access. Satcom can be an affordable option, provided there is a regulatory environment in place. auspicious, “Kant said while speaking at a virtual event for the launch of the new space association Indian Space Association (ISpA).

In addition to rural broadband, Satcom has enormous potential in the areas of transport logistics, agriculture, telemedicine and tele-education, he said.

However, the licensing framework for satellite communications (satcom) should be easy and simple with a focus on being technology independent, Kant said.

“The current regulatory regime must be conducive to launching Indian satellites. And there is a need for the licensing framework, which is extremely easy and simple. We need to make it technology agnostic instead of prescribing separate rules for civil applications based on the underlying communication technology, ”Kant said while addressing an Indian Space Association (ISpA) virtual webinar.

Satellite communication, according to him, may be an affordable connectivity option considering India’s relatively low penetration of landlines and limited spectrum availability. Industry players have also shown interest in investing in various satcom segments.

Major industry players and industry experts in India are debating the methodology in which radio waves should be allocated to companies to launch these services that have the potential to bring the internet to the corners of a vast geography that otherwise it would be very difficult to cover. through fiber optic networks.

“The commercial viability of satellite communications requires a healthy ecosystem for competitive supply at various rungs of the market, including transponder bandwidth, terrestrial equipment and services, and satellite communications applications. I have had several interactions with the industry. And this has revealed that there is great interest in investing in various segments of satellite communication, “he said. In addition, to develop space capabilities, the country’s space sector must achieve TRL7 and above, and regulatory measures must allow for innovation while leveraging Resolution 32 of WRC19 for short-term non-geostationary (GSO) missions.

“India should make a leap in the initial phase by creating an experimental and technology demonstration license aligned with these regulations and including the free space of the land segment. In this way, an open path can be created for new companies to become full-fledged international standard companies, ”he said.

“… Startups are agile and fast, they need quick authorizations, they need help and facilitation, and we must act as catalysts with a very precise single window. And if they are successful, India will. And therefore we should eliminate all complex regulatory processes, ”added Kant. 6PARK.NEWS