An instance that is closest to home is the profusion of satellite TV inIndia. Perhaps this development has provided an initial impetus tounfettered information access in India. We are a more informed populace andtoday's scenario, with a plethora of channels, is a far cry from the days ofbeing saddled with just DD doling out insipid fare. Given our exposure to adiverse range of programming content, viewers in Kashmir as well as those inKerala are not only in a position to draw entertainment of local interest,but are also exposed to what the world is watching, buying or beinginfluenced by. News is being made and views are being shaped around theworld. Perhaps an appropriate indicator of how significantly influentialthis medium is can be gauged by the increasing amounts marketers arespending on it. And unlike cable which is perceived as infinitely moreintrusive, satellite communication is downloaded directly onto your accessdevice.

Apart from being used to deliver infotainment through satellite TV andradio, satellite communication plays a major role in enabling personal andbusiness communications. Several Satcom-driven experiments such as Orbcomm,Iridium and India's very own HAS (Highway Automation System) have provedthat satellite communication in conjunction with other technologies can playan incisive role in delivering highly reliable and innovative communicationssolutions.

Orbcomm is a good example of one that uses satellites instead of terrestrialfixed-site relay repeaters. Worldwide geographic coverage is enabled througha system capable of receiving two-way alphanumeric packets on subscribercommunicators (SCs) - hand-held devices for personal messaging, as well asfixed and mobile units for remote monitoring and tracking applications. InIndia, satcom is an important constituent of the HAS project which has putin place a nationwide system for tracking and monitoring commercialtransport.

There are several reasons why satcom is regarded as a stable, reliable andwidely deployable technology. Given the giant footprints that satellitesenvelop, line-of-sight and distance dependency that technologies such asmicrowave are constrained by are done away with. In several countries, byallowing interconnectivity with PSTN, satcom helps to optimise basictelephony networks. Either carrying traffic or providing backboneinfrastructure ensures satcom is used in conjunction with othercommunications technologies to provide a seamless network. Thecentral/remote monitoring capabilities of satcom networks is another majoradvantage. A good example is the VSAT network that BT has deployed forBarclays Bank in South Africa, which is monitored from hub facilitieslocated in the UK.

The high security that satellite communication networks command has helpedsatcom service the demands of organisations such as banks, stock exchangesand military establishments. Being a highly reliable medium, satcom networksare extremely difficult to tamper with. Some financial service customerssuch as Sundaram Finance have VSAT networks that are monitored from a hubstation. Also, in keeping with the crucial role that satcom has playedduring natural calamities, the Maharashtra government is implementing adisaster management network with dedicated hubs at Mumbai and Pune.

South-East Asia provides good examples of communication between islandsusing a combination of technologies such as microwave, fixed-line andsatcom. In Indonesia and Philippines typically, fixed-line telephonyservices intra-island communication, with communication between hundred ofislands taking place via satellite.

Given its inherent advantages, satcom continues to play a crucial role inenterprise infrastructure. Many of India's leading corporates, including theGodrej group, Reliance, Wipro, SmithKline Beecham, Cadbury and severalothers in virtually every segment of the industry rely on VSAT-basedsatellite communication for their business communications. The value-addedservices that are possible over a VSAT network such as Internet access, highbandwidth support, interconnectivity with other technology options such asmicrowave and terrestrial networks will ensure that in the era ofe-commerce, satcom continues to be a critical component of enterpriseinfrastructure.

The regulatory situation around the world is constantly improving, thusopening out hitherto unexplored market segments and applications for satcom.In any case, technology will continue its march to leapfrog overshort-sighted protectionist policies. There will be greater integration ofheterogeneous technologies to provide a seamless solution to the endcustomer and companies that focus on best practices with regards to customerservices will continue to flourish.

(The author is CEO, Bharti BT)