Industry says Isro’s monopoly fuelling satellite shortages
The protest from home-grown communication companies comes against the backdrop of what they say is Isro’s “failure” to meet its target of providing 500 transponders in the 11th Plan period (2007-12) and also increasing it to around 800 transponders in the 12th Plan period (2012-17), without opening up the sector. Between 2007-12, Isro operationalised only 187 transponders on its satellite system.
Home-grown satellite firm JupiterSat, a company promoted by Hughes Network Systems, wants the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), DoS and the science & technology ministry to intervene as its three-year-old application to set up an Indian satellite system, Surya, has been ignored by Isro. Instead, Isro has now floated an expression of interest (EoI) inviting global players to set up a satellite in the Ka-band (broadband) and Ku-band (DTH). This comes after Isro failed to meet the target of providing 500 transponders under 11th Plan (less than 150 got operational).
For the 12th Plan period, the DoS has kept a target of offering 800 transponders.
Sources said JupiterSat through its promoter company has had a series of correspondence with the DoS, the PMO and the science and technology
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