As India awaits the launch of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Starlink services, there is another good news for internet users. India’s own telecommunications company, Airtel, is all set to launch satellite internet services in the country. This step will revolutionize India’s telecommunications market, boosting internet connectivity in remote areas and even challenging international companies like Starlink.
Speaking to ANI, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Rajan Bharti Mittal, stated that Airtel’s satellite telecom service is ready for rollout in India. He added that the company is just waiting for the centre’s greenlight to go ahead. There will be two stations, one in Gujarat and other in Tamil Nadu.
What Did Rajan Bharti Mittal Say?
“In India, we are waiting for, as you know, the spectrum allocation to be done. Both our stations are ready, one in Gujarat and one in Tamil Nadu. The base stations are ready. So as soon as we get permission, we will be launching in India as well,” said Rajan.
Rajan added, “Bharti Enterprises has already launched 635 satellites and is providing services in other parts of the world.”
The satellite internet service will provide network to the unconnected areas where the terrestrial networks cannot go. Rajan further added that the satellite service is for the far flung areas, as terrestrial networks in India are already very robust with 4G and 5G.
When asked about the debate around spectrum allocation through administrative process or through auction. Rajan reinstated Bharti Airtel’s stance. He stated that satellite companies should be required to pay licensing fees and acquire spectrum through auctions, just as traditional telecom operators do.
Notably, the Akash Ambani-led Reliance Jio has also pitched for satellite companies to pay license fee and buy spectrum for their telecom services. However, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper wants an administrative allocation of spectrum for satellite services.
Benefits Of Satellite Internet Service:
Satellite internet service has several benefits to offer:
It provides coverage in rural, remote and far-flung areas.
It offers fast and reliable connectivity.
Cuts down setup cost as it doesn’t require infrastructure like fiber optics.
It doesn’t have geographical limitations like terrestrial networks.
Also Read: Jio Vs Airtel: Whose Voice & SMS-Only Prepaid Plans Offers What? Key Details Inside
