As Elon Musk’s SpaceX abandoned its low-cost internet project Starlink in the nation, satellite internet provider Hughes Communications India on Monday announced the commercial launch of India’s first high-throughput satellite (HTS) broadband service powered by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The service intends to link corporate and governmental networks by providing high-speed internet across the whole nation, particularly in the most distant regions that are outside the range of terrestrial networks.
According to Dr. S. Somnath, Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of ISRO, “At ISRO, we are dedicated to investigating and extending the ways we may collaborate with the private sector to assist enhance people’s lives and bridge the digital divide.”
“We are sure that HCI will continue to offer outstanding quality satellite broadband services and significantly enhance the connection experience that promotes India’s digital revolution with the new HTS capabilities powered by ISRO satellites,” Somnath continued.
In India, HCI offers satellite broadband to more than 200,000 corporate and government locations, assisting businesses as well as important federal and state government initiatives.
The Hughes JUPITER System, in use on more than 75 spacecraft, has become the worldwide de facto standard for high-throughput and traditional satellite applications.
Partho Banerjee, president and managing director of HCI, said that the availability of HTS internet throughout the nation “underscores our ongoing commitment to bridging the digital divide, offering multi-megabit high-speed broadband at accessible costs.”
He said, “This new broadband service will meet the high-bandwidth needs of government agencies, financial institutions, cellular carriers, mining and energy industries, among other enterprises, large and small. It will help connect India to an unbounded future.
The Hughes JUPITER Platform ground technology and Ku-band capacity from ISRO’s GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites work together to bring high-speed broadband throughout India, especially in the most distant regions that are not serviced by terrestrial networks.
Wi-Fi hotspots for public internet access, managed SD-WAN solutions, backhaul to increase the reach of mobile networks, and satellite internet for small enterprises are all supported by the service.
