Broadband satellite services provider Hughes Communications expects to continue a 15-20% year-on-year growth in India. The company, which has a service distributor agreement with Bharti-owned Eutelsat OneWeb, is banking on the launch of satellite internet broadband services, satellite internet of things (IoT) solutions and capacity additions with upcoming GSAT-20 satellite launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation arm NewSpace India. In an interview with FE, Hughes Communications India CEO, president and managing director Shivaji Chatterjee talks about the opportunities in the satcom (satellite communications) space, spectrum charges for satcom players and the potential in B2B satellite space.
What is your view on the current debate on administrative vs auction of satellite spectrum?
There are two elements to it. One is technical – satcom as a shared frequency is something which by nature cannot be auctioned because it is a shared resource. However, If any satcom operator, be it foreign or domestic, wants to be an alternate direct service provider of consumer mobile services using IMT (international mobile telecommunications) frequencies, just like a mobile operator anywhere in India, it should follow the norms and buy that spectrum like mobile operators.
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What are the growth areas for Hughes now?
India has GSAT-20, which is scheduled for launch very soon. It will bring 50 Gbps bandwidth capacity to the country in the Ka satellite spectrum band. We have various LEO (low-earth orbit) constellations which are coming up. Kuiper and Starlink are likely to follow OneWeb in India. So, that by default brings capacity into the country. Also, we have our satellite IoT solutions coming up for launch in this quarter. So, we will be able to put small terminals, which need less power and will be used to provide an IoT solution where there is no cellular coverage. These are exciting paths for growth of satcom.
How are you seeing the demand for satcom services?
The mobility demand is coming from unmanned drones, domestic airlines, ships and defence. Whether it is in the air or water or on the move, satellite solutions can be mainstreamed in such specialised areas, besides serving areas where there is no connectivity. The biggest user that is waiting for companies like OneWeb to launch the services is the defence sector because of the terrain they operate in and the mission-criticality nature of the connectivity.
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