Forthcoming satcom policy must focus more on access and less on prices

Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants the government to ensure that the forthcoming satcom policy “focuses more on access and less on pricing” of Internet-from-space services to attract top-dollar global investors and increase satellite broadband penetration in it Indian rural areas.

This is because new-age broadband from space technology via several low-Earth (LEO) satellites is likely to be at least 7-8 times more expensive than terrestrial broadband services.

“As satellite broadband can improve and save lives in India’s remote regions, it is quite important that the forthcoming satcom policy focuses more on access and less on prices,” Sanjay Bhargava, India’s head of SpaceX’s Starlink operation, told local television -channel.

Starlinks Bhargava said that a LEO-based satellite internet service typically requires that “large numbers of such satellites move very fast to cover the earth”, making it “at least 7-8 times more expensive than terrestrial broadband,” especially since the software requirements for to manage such operations is very tough.

India’s long – awaited new Spacecom policy is likely to underline the critical role played by LEO satellite system operators in increasing broadband coverage, particularly in rural India. This, though Bharti-backed OneWeb and SpaceX are preparing to launch high-speed satellite broadband services in India next year.

SpaceX has recently registered a 100% owned subsidiary in India, Starlink Satellite Communications Pvt Ltd (SSCPL), which will allow them to start applying for licenses, starting with the test spectrum to implement Starlink connections in Delhi schools. This will reportedly be followed by an application for a limited commercial license.

In fact, SpaceX is hopeful that global investors will be eager to pump in top dollars if India can be set up as a $ 1 billion satellite revenue opportunity. “If we are able to show the world that there can be around 1 million (access) points in India, where each point has the ability to pay $ 1,000 (approximately 7.5000 Rs) per year for satellite broadband, then the market (the opportunity )) will be $ 1 billion in annual revenue, ”said Bhargava.

Such a potential scenario, he added, would encourage many to invest in the country’s new satellite broadband sector and pave the way for India’s very own satellite constellation. “India is very good in space (segment) with a lot of talent and if it is able to attract capital, it is only a matter of time before we will have a fully Indian satellite constellation,” said Starlink India chief.

Starlink is a satellite-based global Internet system that SpaceX has built for years to bring Internet access to underserved areas of the world.

However, Bhargava said that although Starlink could play the role of a catalyst by providing satellite broadband (connection), it would have to work with a host of solution providers across domains, including education, industry, tourism among others.

Earlier this month, he had said that SpaceX would start discussions with India’s telecommunications companies about potential collaborations to provide high-speed satellite broadband services in India’s regions that are hardest to reach.

Bhargava’s comments come at a time when the OneWeb, SpaceX, Amazon and Tata-Telesat combination are poised to enter India’s relatively incipient fast broadband-from-space segment leveraging their respective low-Earth satellite constellations (LEO).

India is seen as an important budding satellite internet market with an annual turnover potential of over $ 1 billion. This is because almost 75% of rural in India still do not have access to broadband as many places are still without mobile or fiber connection. The LEO satellite systems are seen as a viable alternative. Mac Pro Tricks