Intelsat is making significant strides in India’s space sector, contributing to the country’s ambitious Space Economy Vision 2032. This vision aims to increase India’s share in the global space economy to 10 percent and establish it as a leading player in the space landscape. According to Gaurav Kharod, Head of Intelsat in Asia Pacific, the recent developments in Indian Space Policy have opened up vast opportunities for the private sector to participate in India’s space endeavours. 

In an exclusive interaction with FinancialExpress.com on the sidelines of the recently concluded India Space Congress 2024, Gaurav Kharod, Head of Intelsat in Asia Pacific said that Intelsat has been a key player in India since 2006, with dedicated teams in New Delhi and Chennai. These teams, including the Satellite Sales Team, Customer Service Engineers, and Network Engineering Team, understand the unique needs of the Indian market. Over the years, Intelsat has expanded its presence with a hundred-seat office in Chennai, housing a Software Development Team for CA Services and providing 24×7 NOC Support Services for its global customer base.

According to him, the company’s existing satellites, such as Intelsat 33e, and its India gateways in Noida and Dehradun, have developed and expanded their roadmap for growth across various business verticals, including Media, Networks, FlexMaritime, and Commercial Aviation. Continuous investments in state-of-the-art ground infrastructure, like the new IntelsatOne IP PoP launched in Mumbai this year, further bolster Intelsat’s capabilities in India.

Following are excerpts from an exclusive interaction:

Intelsat’s Vision for India

The company’s future growth in India is driven by partnerships and localization. The company aims to nurture long-term partnerships for SDN (Software-Defined Networking) and focus on managed services for growth. Compliance with the new Space Policy and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms is a key part of this strategy. Intelsat plans to set up an Indian entity, ensuring its operations align with local regulations.

One of the significant steps Intelsat is taking is the establishment of a 100 percent wholly-owned subsidiary in India. This move will bring in FDI and transfer all its business, including its current customers, to this new entity. The Telecom Bill passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2023 allows for the administrative assignment of satellite spectrum for various services, including TV Channels & Teleports, DTH, HITS, DSNG, and VSAT. Key vertical segments using satellite technology, such as Networks, Maritime, Commercial Aviation, Media, and Defence, have a strong outlook in India.

Contributions Across Verticals

Media: Intelsat’s IS-20 and IS-17 satellites provide programming that represents nearly half the TV content market in India, reaching millions of households. Globally, Intelsat delivers TV and radio content to over 2 billion people.

Networks: Intelsat collaborates with ISRO on various satellite ventures. Using the High Throughput Satellite IS-33e, Intelsat provides cellular backhaul service to one of India’s largest MNOs, expanding 4G LTE broadband access. Worldwide, Intelsat serves 7 of the top 10 Mobile Network Operators.

Mobility: Intelsat’s mobility services cover land, maritime, and aviation. For land mobility, Intelsat completed a proof of concept for the state Mobile Communication Office Vehicle, providing critical communication services using IS-33e HTS capacity. In the maritime sector, Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service connects hundreds of vessels in Indian waters daily, making it a leading provider of satellite bandwidth to the maritime industry.

Commercial Aviation: Through Nelco, a part of the Tata Group, Intelsat provides broadband access over Indian skies to its global airline customers. With the forecast that India will need 2,840 new aircraft in the next 20 years, there is a significant opportunity for expansion. Intelsat currently provides in-flight internet to 21 commercial airline partners and nearly 3,000 aircraft worldwide.

Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide

One of the critical roles of Intelsat in India is bridging the urban-rural divide. Despite being home to the world’s largest population of 1.4 billion people, India also has the largest unconnected population, with about 680 million people offline. While fiber is primarily used in cities, over 60 percent of the Indian population lives in rural areas where only satellite can provide connectivity.

Intelsat partners with in-country service providers to offer multiple services in India. Through IS-33e, Intelsat has provided cellular backhaul service to one of India’s largest MNOs, expanding 4G LTE broadband access to areas where alternatives are not viable. Intelsat is also eager to participate in the government’s Digital India mission, supporting USO-funded projects through BSNL.

Television broadcasting plays a crucial role in rural India, helping to bridge the socioeconomic information gap and promote development. Intelsat’s IS-20 and IS-17 satellites provide programming that represents about half of India’s TV content. For over two decades, Sony Pictures Networks India has relied on Intelsat’s reliable satellite infrastructure to distribute its 26 channels, reaching over 700 million viewers. This reliable access to entertainment, sports, and news content helps bring families and communities together.

Future Plans and Projects

Looking ahead, Intelsat sees an opportunity to extend and expand the role of satellite communications within the broader telecom ecosystem. The company is positioning itself as a premier provider of end-to-end multi-orbit, seamless, and secure communications services and solutions globally and in India. Intelsat’s next-generation multi-orbit 5G network will use software-defined space and ground assets, faster-to-deploy satellites, and a 5G mobile core. This new network embraces open architecture and industry standards such as 3GPP, integrating services across orbits and providers with the same seamlessness users expect from their telecom devices.

As part of its NG-SDN plan, Intelsat has contracted for four software-defined satellites, made investments in ground and universal modem technology, and is pursuing other disruptive technology opportunities. The upcoming Intelsat 41 (IS-41) and Intelsat 44 (IS-44) will cover India and the Asia Pacific region, providing essential advancements in Intelsat’s 5G software-defined network. These satellites will enable greater agility, flexibility, and orchestration across edge, satellite, and core networks.